


we gladiate but i guess we're really fighting ourselves

by sunnydalehart



Series: We've Got Young Blood [1]
Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: F/F, M/M, a mix of them all being a huge mess, also Tommy's here now, and some memes probably, background Zack/Jason/Billy, comforting/helping each other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2018-11-16 00:35:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 135,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11242605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnydalehart/pseuds/sunnydalehart
Summary: "Jason has 'team leader responsibilities' and a dad who's always on his back about being a failure. Billy literally died. I don't know what he might be going through because of that. Zack has to take care of his mom, keep a job, go to school, and leave time for Ranger stuff. You're still dealing with the fallout from…” Trini pauses. Because Kim knows what she means; clarification is unnecessary. “And I heard what you told Zack last night. That you'd felt like that before so you knew he wasn't okay. And on top of my preexisting family issues, I've got PTSD. We're all messed up.”Or, The rangers don't really know what they're doing, but they really are trying their best.





	1. We Should Start a Band

**Author's Note:**

> Stuff actually starts happening after this chapter, I promise. This is really just to set everything up.  
> [The band isn't going to be a big focus in this story//it's mostly just for fun]
> 
> Also, I definitely made up how messaging/group chats work with their phones, but w/e
> 
> title from Lorde's "Glory and Gore"

“I think we should start a band.”

Trini glances up, raising her eyebrows. “You think we should what? 

“Yeah, it sounded like you said _start a band_ ,” Jason says, only slightly surprised. ‘Surprised’ because they were taking a water break and there hadn't been any mention of anything music related, but ‘only slightly’ because it's _Zack_ who brought it up.

He nods.

“It was funnier when Kim made that joke,” Trini says, leaning back against the wall of rock behind her. 

Kimberly doesn't say anything, just smiles against her water bottle as she takes another drink.

“No, I'm serious, guys,” Zack says, hopping up onto his feet. “Think about it. I know we've got talent; I've seen it. I seriously think we could be good.”

“Care to elaborate on what ‘talent’ you're so sure we have?” Kim asks, crossing her arms after returning her bottle back to its place on the ground. It's hard to take Zack seriously when he comes up with ideas like this at least five times a week, but when they aren't exhausted and in terrible moods, they can handle humoring him. And the excitement on his face is so genuine, it'd be sad to shatter it--especially since this is one of the few times he isn't being an annoying asshole about something.

Zack’s smile grows, and he nods again. “Sure. Billy on the drums would be killer. Trini takes keyboard, and Jason on electric guitar. Kim, you've got a sick voice. We've all heard you sing, so don't pretend you can't. And I've obviously got bass. It's literally perfect.”

Billy nods. “He does have a point. We all know how to play those instruments, and Kim does sing well. But I don't know if we can fit a band in between school, detention, and ranger training."

Jason’s about to say that Billy's right, even if the idea of it is nice. But he was only pausing and isn't done talking yet.

“ _But_ , it could be a weekly thing. If we cut training in half after detentions on Saturdays, or after school on… Wednesdays, then it could work. Playing the drums relaxes me, and I don't get to do it much anymore in between projects.”

Zack’s grinning, motioning to Billy excitedly.

Jason sighs and then nods. “Okay. Maybe you're right.”

“Wait, so we’re actually taking this seriously now?” Kimberly asks, looking between everyone.

“Yeah, it'll be harder than it sounds,” Trini almost mumbles. “We know how to play, sure, but it’s different when we’re all trying to play in sync with each other. Maybe you guys can try it out, but I'm--”

“Whoa-ho there, crazy girl,” Zack says, dropping to the ground next to her, and throwing an arm around her shoulder. “We need you. _The Rangers_ can't exist without yellow there, too. And don't tell me you wouldn't love an excuse to thrash and rock out without your parents threatening to take the door off your bedroom.”

She pushes him off of her, and sits up again, slightly less relaxed than before. “ _Fine_. I guess it isn't totally dumb. But I haven’t touched a keyboard or a piano in two years. And we are not calling ourselves ‘The Rangers’.”

“That's okay,” he says, sitting back and holding his hands up defensively. “I'm flexible. _Zack’s Zords_ does have a better ring to it.”

Trini glares at him for a few seconds, clearly annoyed. Zack only finds it even funnier. “I literally hate you.”

He holds a hand over his heart. “ _Ouch_. That hurts, T.”

“What do _you_ think, Kim?” Jason asks, attempting to ignore the other two. 

“I think you're overestimating my ability to sing.” Kim shakes her head. “I'm just good at karaoke.”

“And singing along to the radio, and humming when you've got earbuds in during training or while we study, or literally any other time you burst into song and somehow always manage to sound _flawless_.” Zack shakes his head sadly. “It's really just unfair that you're effortlessly so good and you don't even know it.”

“As much as I _hate_ to say this,” Trini adds. “Zack’s right." 

Jason and Billy nod too.

Kimberly pauses to think it over. “Do I really do it that often?” 

“You do,” Billy says. “But we usually enjoy it. Or, _I_ usually enjoy it. Having background noise helps when it gets too quiet around the pit, and you have good taste in music.”

“Thanks Billy.” She smiles. “Okay. Then I guess I'm in too.”

Zack jumps up, letting out a loud sound of victory and then fist pumping the air. Jason nods along, but says that they'll figure out how everything is going to work later--right now they still have half of a set of training left to get through.

 

\---

 

**Black and Yellow  
[thicczack | trinineedsanap]**

**thicczack:** yo t, u maybe wanna keep it in ur pants when the rest of us are in the room??

**thicczack:** like I'm rooting for u, but if ur trying to be subtle it isn't working

**trinineedsanap:** what are you talking about

**trinineedsanap:** and why is that ur name? Don't lie to the world like this

**thicczack:** exCUSE YOU

**thicczack:** I HAVE A GREAT ASS

**thicczack:** I'm offended

**trinineedsanap:** [surejan.gif]

**thicczack:** anYWAY

**thicczack:** I'm talking abt ur thirsting over Kimberly

**trinineedsanap:** what?

**thicczack:** at training earlier??

**thicczack:** do I really need to spell it out for u???

**trinineedsanap:** yes because I still don't know what ur talking abt

**thicczack:** u literally almost took my arm off when I made one (1) joke abt Kim

**thicczack:** tell me, when does ‘staring longingly at someone’ stop being platonic??

**trinineedsanap:** ur high, dude. Kim’s my friend just like the rest of u 

**thicczack:** uh, sure, except u don't want to bang the rest of us

**thicczack:** i mean, at least u don’t lose the ability to function like she does

**thicczack:** ur lucky this isn't in person bc I know u wouldn't be able to look me in the eye and say u don't have feelings for her

**trinineedsanap:** shut up, go annoy someone else. I have to help w dinner

**thicczack:** it took u ten minutes to respond, and u still didn't deny it. I rest my case.

 

\---

 

**We Dem Bois  
[thicczack | billyc | goldenboi]**

**thicczack:** pls tell me u guys could feel the sexual tension earlier

**goldenboi:** Why is this still our group name? 

**goldenboi:** Can we change it?

**thicczack:** but

**thicczack:** we dem bois 

**billyc:** What do you want to change it to? 

**goldenboi:** idk, anything. We need a change

**thicczack:** ugh fine

 

**thicczack** changed the group name to **Cracking Open A Cold One W The Boys**

 

**goldenboi:** That's kinda long tho

**thicczack:** oh my goddddd

 

**thicczack** changed the group name to **Cracking Open A Cold One (...)**

 

**thicczack:** this is as far as I'm willing to compromise 

**goldenboi:** Ok fine, I guess it'll do 

**thicczack:** now back to my q

**billyc:** Do you mean earlier during training?

**thicczack:** ya

**billyc:** Sexual tension between who? 

**goldenboi:** Trini and Kimberly 

**thicczack:** yes!!! Jason my man!!

**billyc:** Oh. Kim’s face did get really red when Trini pinned her to the ground 

**billyc:** I thought she was tired from sparring, but that makes sense

**thicczack:** u got it, b, that's exactly what I'm talking abt

**billyc:** Does Trini like Kim, too?

**thicczack:** must I reiterate that she baSICALLY THREW HERSELF AT K

**goldenboi:** Yeah, Kim flirts with her all the time 

**goldenboi:** Openly

**goldenboi:** And without shame

**goldenboi:** But Trini’s more open and relaxed around Kim than w/ any of us

**thicczack:** kim’s just a hopeless bi mess and t is the most oblivious person I've ever met 

**thicczack:** so how do we fix this??

**goldenboi:** Get T to open her eyes or K to make a real move

**goldenboi:** But easier said than done 

**billyc:** Maybe we shouldn't meddle in their relationship

**goldenboi:** ^^ he's right though. We should let them handle it how they want to

**thicczack:** t r u s t me bros 

**thicczack:** I have a plan

**thicczack:** next time we see each other just let whatever happens… happen 

**billyc:** What does that mean, though?

**goldenboi:** If Zack's going to crash and burn, we should just ignore him like we usually do

**billyc:** Oh. Ok, cool.

**thicczack:** uh

**thicczack:** rude

 

\---

 

**Biconic Duo  
[goldenboi | kimberleavemealone]**

**goldenboi:** Hey

**kimberleavemealone:** What's up?

**goldenboi:** your name is rlly long

**kimberleavemealone:** Did u text me just to be an ass or do u have a point? ‘cause I can just message Zack to get that and he's actually funny sometimes 

**goldenboi:** whoa sorry

**goldenboi:** u ok??

**kimberleavemealone:** Yeah

**kimberleavemealone:** Sorry. I just made the mistake of finally cleaning out my Twitter and saw some stuff I wish I hadn't

**kimberleavemealone:** Don't worry about it, I'm fine. What did you want to talk about?

**goldenboi:** Are u sure, cause this isn't that important if u wanna talk about it 

**kimberleavemealone:** I'm fine, seriously 

**goldenboi:** ok. I just wanted to let u know that zack is starting to notice that you’re into T, so if you want HER to realize it too

**goldenboi:** u might need to be a little more… ya know… straightforward

**kimberleavemealone:** tbh, I think I'd rather just keep doing what I already am for now. I don't even know if she likes me

**goldenboi:** you're joking right

**kimberleavemealone:** Uh. No. Has she told you she does?

**goldenboi:** She doesn't need to tell me for me to know. She's about as obvious as you are

**goldenboi:** I mean?? I think she does. I wouldn't say that if I weren't almost entirely positive. 

**kimberleavemealone:** Sure, jace. I'll take that into consideration

**goldenboi:** Just a heads up; if u don't do something soon, I'm pretty sure Zack's gonna make a move for u 

**kimberleavemealone:** Oh god. I can’t do that, though. All of my confidence literally disappears as soon as she walks into the room

**goldenboi:** Yeah, well. Just try not to waste too much time at practice again 

**kimberleavemealone:** No promises


	2. Save the Gay for Another Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kimberly and Trini actually interact, and Zack is very enthusiastic about it

**Ranger Danger  
[thicczack | goldenboi | billyc | kimberleavemealone | trinineedsanap]**

**thicczack:** so training after class, right??

 **goldenboi:** Yes

 **thicczack:** and everyone knows our first band practice is tmrw after detention?

 **billyc:** Yes. Just finished the final touches for soundproofing my room. It was surprisingly much easier than I was anticipating. There are plenty of outlets for the amps and stuff. And Trini’s keyboard, assuming it's a model that uses a chord instead of being wireless. Also my mom said she'd make snacks.

 **thicczack:** yesss!!!

 **thicczack:** u and ur mom r awesome, Billy

 **thicczack:** so tmrw is just a jam sesh so we can figure out our sound; don't flip if we don't sound lit right away

 **trinineedsanap:** exactly what I said when u first brought this up

 **thicczack:** ok sorry. ^^previous comment ©trinigomezinc, Smol Angry Gay Studios™, “Maybe You Should Listen To Me, Dumbass,” The Pit, 2017.

 **goldenboi:** Whoa

 **kimberleavemealone:** omfg

 **trinineedsanap:** why are u like this

 **thicczack:** hey, I give credit where credit is due

 **kimberleavemealone:** Oh my god, this is so accurate?

 **trinineedsanap:** don't encourage him

 

\---

 

Training was going fine, honestly. Jason wanted them to practice with some putties for a while, so they morphed and fought in their armor--which means less physical pain when they fucked up a move. But ‘was’ is the key word, because they've finished that segment and are now moving on to sparring. Without armor. Because they're used to it, and they might have trouble morphing in the future, and there's probably plenty of _other_ reasons why it's a good idea to practice in just their workout clothes.

Training _was_ fine.

But now Trini and Kimberly are paired off, and it's both a blessing and a nightmare. Trini’s… distracted to say the least. Kimberly’s outfit isn't revealing or necessarily sexy, but she has such nice arms, and legs, and… everything, really. She was a cheerleader, so is it really necessary to elaborate any further? Trini could--she could go on and on--but she also can't because she's supposed to be focussed on the fight. She can't lose her edge now.

And normally that isn’t a problem. If she’s freaking out, it’s all internal; perks from years of keeping her feelings to herself and looking as unaffected as possible on the outside.

She does a good job of blocking for a while. Kim's technique is smooth and graceful, so anticipating a move doesn't come as sporadically like it might with Zack. But she soon realizes that Kim’s holding back. And that's _not good_ because it means she's noticed that something's off, and she'll probably question Trini about it later, and that absolutely _cannot_ happen.

So she shakes herself out of it--tells herself to save the gay for another day--and _really_ tries this time. They get into an actual rhythm after that, Kim realizing that Trini’s head is no longer stuck in the clouds, and stepping it up so her hits would actually be painful if she landed one.

Trini makes it through their session in one piece. Barely.

Once they've finished and are taking a breath before they all leave, Kimberly decides to pull a classic _Jason Scott, Angel Grove’s Golden Boy_ move, by pulling her tank top off--leaving her in just a sports bra--and using it to wipe the sweat from her face.

“You okay there, T?” Zack smiles. “You're looking a little thirsty.”

Her response is to punch him in the arm. “ _Shut up._ ”

It's a really nice sports bra.

“Trin!” Kimberly calls out, holding up her water bottle. “Mine’s empty. Can I get some of yours?”

Trini swears Kim’s enjoying this way too much for it to be innocent. But that might just be her imagination. “Uh… Yeah. Sure thing, princess.”

Kimberly’s still smiling--maybe more amused than before--and grabs for her bottle of water.

Suddenly she feels a weight on her shoulders. She doesn't have to glance up to know who it is, but she does anyway and sort of regrets having to see the stupid grin on his face.

“ _‘Kim’s my friend, just like the rest of you,’_ ” he says in a mocking tone.

She pushes at his arms to get them off of her shoulders. “Would you get off of me?” 

He backs off. “She’s doing this on purpose. Are you going to sit here and tell me this is normal platonic behavior? Again?”

Trini contemplates doing just that, but ends up deciding against it. Denying it again would just be dumb at this point. She glances up at him and shakes her head, saying under her breath, “Later.”

Off to the side, Billy and Jason are also taking their water break, but they feel like an audience. Of what, they aren't really sure.

“Has Zack done anything yet? Is something happening?” Billy asks.

Jason shakes his head, eyebrows furrowed. “I don't think so. I’m not really sure what’s happening.”

They watch Zack ease up and finally leave Trini's side to grab his things. Kimberly takes his place almost immediately. They can't hear the conversation the girls are having.

Kimberly knocks her shoulder into Trini’s, moving forward a bit to indicate a walk towards the ship. “Were you okay earlier? You looked a little out of it.”

“Yeah.” Trini nods. “Just got a little tired is all.”

“Having trouble sleeping?”

She had meant from messing with the putties, but if she were being more honest the answer would be yes. Because she has been having trouble sleeping. Ever since Rita attacked her, and Billy died, and giant fucking Goldar helped tear apart half the town. All within twenty-four hours of each other. But she doesn't talk about that. They already know she's the weak one because Rita picked _her_ , and she doesn't need to give them any more reasons to believe that.

Still, she takes a little too long to respond, and there's some confusion on her face, so Kimberly takes it as a, _“How did you know that?”_ look. “Ranger sixth sense. I didn't know who it was coming from, but I could feel it.”

“Fuck,” she says, the realization spreading through her. “Are you serious? Have I been fucking up everyone's sleep for _weeks_? Why didn't you guys say anything?”

Kimberly shakes her head. “No, I don't…” She pauses to think about it. “I don't really know how it works, and the others might not’ve even felt it. I could sleep, but sometimes I’d wake up in the middle of the night and get that adrenaline rush like I was having a nightmare, even though I wasn't, or I’d wake up the next day and still have this faint feeling like I couldn't sleep at all. It was just _there_. I didn't say anything because I thought that whoever it was wasn't bringing it up for a reason. I wasn't going to push.”

How is anyone supposed to process something like that? And what else have each of them been feeling because of another ranger? It explains a lot--plenty of times one of them would get super excited or nervous or anything, and not know why. Trini’s almost upset that she’s been so distracted to not notice it herself.

“So you knew it was me, then?” She asks.

“What?” Kimberly gives her a weird look. “I just said I d--”

“You said you knew one of us was keeping it from the rest of you. Billy would tell us, and Zack would’ve said something at one of the bonfires we’ve had recently. Jason might've kept it to himself ‘cause he's the strong and mighty leader, or whatever, but you two are close. He would've told you. I wouldn't talk about it unless I had to. So you knew it was me.”

She watches her for a few seconds before nodding. “Yeah.” Trini’s still staring at her, so she continues. “I wanted to ask you about it, but I knew you'd get defensive if I did. I was hoping you'd bring it up on your own. With me. Or Zack. Or Jason or Billy… I thought we were close, too.”

Oh god. No no no no. That's not fair. Kimberly can't just drop this, and then get _that_ look on her face. Like Trini just stole her puppy and sold it at a rundown gas station. How the hell is she supposed to have a good response to that? She almost feels trapped because she wants to reiterate that _they are close_ , and it wasn't supposed to be personal, but she didn't want to talk about it with _anyone_ , and it isn't that she doesn't trust her (or the others), she cares what they think of her. Cares too much, apparently. So much that it looks like she doesn't care at all.

“I didn't want to talk about it at all,” she says, hands going down her backpack straps to keep her from fidgeting too much. “It wasn't you.”

“But you know you can talk to us, right? You can talk to me.”

Trini nods, stopping and turning to see the boys coming up behind them. She knows her response is kind of half-assed, and she _could've_ been more genuine with it. But there's no turning back. She just has to hope Kimberly doesn't read too much into it and adopt that _hurt_ look again beyond this afternoon. “I know.”

 

\---

 

 **Emo/Scene Aesthetic**  
**[thicczack | princess.hart]**

 **thicczack:** kim, honey, if u don't take it easy on t, we’re gonna be down a ranger and that is Not Good 

 **princess.hart:** idk what you're talking about, z

 **princess.hart:** She seems perfectly fine to me

 **thicczack:** don't play me like this

 **thicczack:** i’m onto ur bi agenda

 **thicczack:** and u aren’t subtle… i’m honestly concerned for t bc she’s BLIND to how much she affects u

 **thicczack:** also?? U shortened ur name,, what prompted the change???

 **princess.hart:** I feel like you already know the answer to that

 **princess.hart:** T called me princess earlier, and I felt it was oddly fitting

 **princess.hart:** Also Jason kept telling me my name was too long, so

 **thicczack:** hm

 **thicczack:** does she know you've made this change??

 **princess.hart:** No I haven't messaged her since we left the cliff

 **thicczack:** mhmm

 **thicczack:** ok thnx bye

 **thicczack:** **bi

 **princess.hart:** Um… ok???

 

\---

 

 **Black and Yellow**  
**[thicczack | trinineedsanap]**

 **thicczack:** text kim

 **thicczack:** text kim

 **thicczack:** text kim

 **thicczack:** t e x t k i m

 **trinineedsanap:** what the fuck

 **thicczack:** u heard me

 **thicczack:** read me

 **thicczack:** w/e just do it

 **trinineedsanap:** we’re in the same room, why would I need to text her??

 **thicczack:** u r whAT

 **thicczack:** whERe

 **thicczack:** w wHO

 **trinineedsanap:** are u having a stroke

 **thicczack:** possibly

 **thicczack:** ur w kim rn??

 **trinineedsanap:** u watched us leave together, going in the direction of her house… not mine… where did u think I was going

 **trinineedsanap:** and we’re working on the music… ya know, like u asked us to

 **thicczack:** ah

 **thicczack:** yes I forgot abt that

 **thicczack:** don't worry then, u’ll find out abt it later. go have fun w ur girl

 **trinineedsanap:** you know it's pretty exhausting being ur friend sometimes

 **thicczack:** aww

 **thicczack:** i’m ur friend???

 **trinineedsanap:** every time I consider being semi nice to u, u immediately make me regret it

 **thicczack:** it's ok I know u don't rlly mean that

 

\---

 

“Stop playing with your phone and come help me,” Kimberly says, barely looking up from her notebook and spot on the bed.

Trini rolls her eyes before pushing herself out of Kimberlys desk chair. “I'm not _playing with my phone_ ; I was answering a text.” She pauses to drop onto the open space at the end of the bed. “You were doing the same thing two minutes ago.”

“Yeah, but _I’m_ allowed to.”

“What?” She stares at her for a few seconds. “How does that make sense?”

She shrugs. “‘Cause… it just does.”

Trini shakes off the thought of trying to figure out whatever that is supposed to mean. “Alright. What am I helping you with? I’m not even sure what we’re supposed to be doing.”

“We’re brainstorming,” she replies simply. “For songs and stuff.”

It doesn’t make much sense why they’d be brainstorming before they know what they want to sound like, but if Trini’s getting to spend more time with Kim then she isn’t going to complain.

“What do we want our songs to be about?” Kimberly asks after Trini spreads out to lie down instead of answer her.

She’s on her back now, staring at the ceiling. There are some faint yellow stars stuck up there, with a greenish tint that tells her they glow in the dark. If she hadn’t been in Kim’s room before--to witness just how _pink_ it really is--she’d be surprised at how big of a dork she is. “I don’t know. How about we all just scream and hope for the best.”

“Mm… No.” Kim shakes her head. “ _You_ might want that. _We_ do not.”

“I don’t know what you want from me, then. That’s pretty much all I can offer.”

Kimberly rolls her eyes, throwing the notebook to the side before flipping around onto her stomach, much closer to Trini than before. Then she says, softer than before, “Trini.”

Trini turns her head to the side. “Yeah?”

“Our conversation earlier kind of got cut short. And I know you probably don’t want to talk about that, either. But the guys aren’t here; it’s just us… You don’t have to shut yourself off from everyone.”

Trini sighs, and then looks back up at the ceiling. “I know.”

“I’ll drop it if you want me to, but--”

“There isn’t much to say, Kim. I can’t sleep. You said you’ve woken up feeling like you’ve had nightmares, so… the cause of this isn’t a secret, either.” Trini shakes her head. “You’re smart. You can figure it out without any of my input.”

“Maybe I can, but I’d rather just ask you,” she says, but it doesn’t look like she’s going to get another response yet. “So, what then? You're having nightmares about Rita? Billy dying? You don't have to feel ashamed of that. She broke into your house and tore up your room. She attacked you while you were sleeping, when you were alone, and when we couldn't morph. It doesn't even make sense, and I'm still terrified that Billy's _life_ is somehow connected to the morphing grid, and one day one of us will screw up. We won't be able to morph, and Billy… Billy won't be here anymore. _Again_. That isn't something any of us are going to be unaffected by.”

Trini closes her eyes. She'd much rather be talking about stupid sappy love songs instead of talking about her own stupid feelings. “I can't… I… Nevermind. It's stupid.”

“It's not. Whatever it is.”

Fuck. She's gonna have to talk about it, isn't she? Like, sure… she doesn't _have_ to. But she does. She really does. But she can’t face Kim and talk about it at the same time, so she stares at the ceiling.

“I can't get through the night on my own anymore. It isn't easy to fall asleep at all, but if I do… it doesn't last long, and you’ve felt what that gets like. One night it got really late and one of my brothers came into my room because _he_ had a nightmare. He asked if he could sleep in my bed, too, and I let him, and… I fell asleep. For the first time that night. The first time in a while. And it's so _fucking dumb_. I was starting to get used to it. My brothers would have a nightmare, or would want a sleepover in my room or theirs, and even if it wasn't much, I got _some_ sleep. But it didn't last. That’s not… It won’t work anymore. So I'm…” She let's out a sad laugh. “Pathetic and sleep deprived, and I don't know what to do.”

“I'm sorry,” Kimberly says softly after a few moments of silence.

Trini shakes her head, finally bringing her attention back to Kim. “Don't be. I'm not asking for a solution; I'm just telling you what's happening.”

She can feel Kim thinking, as strange as it sounds. She just knows that all the moments where Trini’s so obviously tired now have a new meaning to her--when she falls asleep in detention, or on Billy's couch during a movie night, or sandwiched in between Zack and Kimberly at a bonfire on the cliffs, leaning on one for support. It's the only time she gets the rest, and it's only because she's so… not alone. Almost always close enough to someone to be touching, constantly reminded that she has someone else around her.

“I'm sorry none of us noticed,” Kimberly clarifies. “Or asked if you were okay. Jason's team leading skills kind of suck if he never tried checking up on you.”

“He probably did; either way I wouldn't have said anything was wrong, so it’s not his fault.” She shrugs. “It gets easier the more I remind myself that I backhanded that bitch into space. Harder when I remember her saying more would be coming.”

“We'll be ready for whatever it is, though. All this training has to be good for something.”

Trini pushes herself up into a sitting position. “What about you, Hart? You been taking your own advice and opening up to any of us?”

“I threw everything out on the table awhile ago. But… lately, not so much.” Kimberly sits up as well. “I think we've hit our emotional quota for the day, though. Don't you think?”

God, yes. She still gives Kim the most intimidating glare she can muster--it doesn't evoke much fear--to let her know they aren't done talking about this. “Absolutely.”

Kimberly smiles, leaning back to retrieve the notebook she had earlier discarded. “Thanks for talking to me, T.”

Trini shrugs, doing her best to look apathetic. “Thanks for listening, I guess.”

 

\---

 

 **Pink Lemonade**  
**[trinineedsanap | princess.hart]**

 **princess.hart:** You know, you didn't have to bolt like that. You could've used the front door. My parents wouldn't have cared that u were over here

 **trinineedsanap:** ya but it's cooler to use the window

 **trinineedsanap:** it's like our thing

 **trinineedsanap:** as rangers

 **trinineedsanap:** you changed your name

 **princess.hart:** Yep

 **princess.hart:** Still, we can be normal every once and awhile

 **princess.hart:** I was going to ask you to stay, but you didn't slow down long enough for me to say anything

 **trinineedsanap:** I needed to get home anyway. I don't need to sit through another interrogation of “where I've been all day”

 **princess.hart:** You should come back and stay the night over here

 **princess.hart:** We’re going to the same place tomorrow, you'll actually get some sleep, and you don't have to worry about explaining anything to anyone

 **trinineedsanap:** as much as I'd love to, my mom would never let me sleep over at someone’s house when she hasn't met them

 **trinineedsanap:** and I'm not going to subject u to that torture

 **trinineedsanap:** also, if she realized that YOU'RE why I have to go to detention, it REALLY wouldn't end well. js

 **princess.hart:** Oh my god

 **princess.hart:** Trini

 **princess.hart:** Since u seem to have a thing for windows, I assumed you'd just use yours to sneak out, and mine to sneak in. And unless ur mom is really nosy, she can just assume u left for detention early and u won't have to worry about going back home

 **princess.hart:** OR, I can come over to introduce myself and tell ur mom we have a bio project due Monday. And we need to work on it tonight and tmrw ‘cause I'll be busy all day Sunday at church

 **trinineedsanap:** you don't go to church

 **trinineedsanap:** do you even know where a church is? Like, any church at all??

 **princess.hart:** Not really, but tell me that wouldn't win me major points w ur mom

 **princess.hart:** I mean, it's up to u. Just let me know if I should research nearby churches to survive the impending interrogation

 **trinineedsanap:** I'll be over in three and a half hours

 **princess.hart:** [super smiley emoji]

 

 **trinineedsanap** changed the group name to **Why Pink Lemonade???**

 

 **princess.hart** changed the group name to **It’s Cute and Quirky**

 

 **princess.hart:** All of our groups have cute names. It's been like this for weeks

 **princess.hart:** Yours and Jason’s is “I guess we're orange” so you don't get to badmouth “pink lemonade”

 **trinineedsanap:** ok chill

 

 **trinineedsanap** changed the group name to **Why Is It Called A Group If There's Only Two Of Us**

 

 **princess.hart** changed the group name to **Idk T, I Didn't Program This**

 

 **trinineedsanap** changed the group name to **My b, I thought the I in iPhone stood for “It's Kimberly!”**

**princess.hart** changed the group name to **Pink Lemonade**

 

 **princess.hart:** It does, but it's a secret, so u can't tell anyone 

 **trinineedsanap:** whatever u say

 **princess.hart:** If I ever get the urge to change my name again, it'll be “itskimberly!” So thanks for that

 **trinineedsanap:** so that's my job now? Coming up w/ ur screen names?

 **princess.hart:** Yep

 **trinineedsanap:** ok I rlly gotta go now. I'll see u later

 **princess.hart:** Three hours [yellow heart emoji]

 

\---

 

 **Black and Yellow**  
**[thicczack | trinineedsanap]**

 **trinineedsanap:** p r i n c e s s

 **trinineedsanap:**  i’m

 **thicczack:** I know, t, just let it out


	3. Trini (Really) Needs a Nap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Detention and "Band Practice"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random side note: Initially I had Trini on bass, Zack on electric, and Jason on keyboard, but I changed it when I rewatched the movie and noticed a red electric guitar in Jason's room
> 
> It doesn't change anything plot-wise, though ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

**Ranger Danger**

**[thicczack | goldenboi | billyc | princess.hart | trinineedsanap]**

**thicczack:** ok who's getting krispy kreme 4 everyone

 **goldenboi:** it isn't the REAL krispy kreme, Z. Until it's rebuilt ya just gotta call ‘me doughnuts

 **goldenboi:** *’em. call THEM doughnuts

 **thicczack:** “me”

 **thicczack:** ok, doughnuts. if u say so

 **thicczack:** jason scott, a known doughnut

 **princess.hart:** What kind of doughnut would u be?

 **thicczack:** glazed cause he's basic or powdered sugar cause he's white

 **thicczack:** or plain cake, cause he's bland

 **princess.hart:** Powdered Glazed™, the white boy’s doughnut.

 **thicczack:** omg yesss

 **thicczack:** thnx hart

 **thicczack:** anyway, who's picking us up some “jason’s”

 **goldenboi:** Translation: who's getting our non krispy kreme doughnuts?

 **billyc:** It's Kimberly’s turn

 **princess.hart:** I'm on it guys

 **thicczack:** translation unnecessary but w/e

 **thicczack:** billy’s place straight after detention??

 **princess.hart:** **bi

 **goldenboi:** *bisexual

 **princess.hart:** Except we aren't all bi, so more accurately: *Billy’s place gay/bi/pan/demi after detention

 **goldenboi:** ^ then yes, after everyone gets their instruments

 **thicczack:** i;;;m so sorry i didn;t m ean that heterosexual nonsense it was an accideont

 **trinineedsanap:** I hate all of u

 **trinineedsanap:** except Billy

 **trinineedsanap:** but I hate Kim the most

 **thicczack:** i mean it t i;m sorry the leabophhhobia wasss too strong so s,,orry

 **thicczack:** wait what

 **trinineedsanap:** no you woke me up, dumbass

 **princess.hart:** What did I do???

 **princess.hart:** I told you to turn your sound off so it wouldn't wake you up

 **trinineedsanap:** I DID

 **trinineedsanap:**  BUT KIMBERLY "my phone has a volume button???" HART DID NOT

 **trinineedsanap:** so?? Your good intentions mean nothing to me

 **thicczack:** waiT WHAT

 **princess.hart:** Shit, hold on guys

 **thicczack:** um???

 **goldenboi:** I was not expecting that

 **thicczack:** I need an explanation??

 **billyc:** If they're in the same room, Kim's probably talking to Trini out loud instead of through the chat. I don't think they'll respond for a while. What kind of snacks do you guys want for practice later?

 

\---

 

"Do you  _really_ hate me?" Kimberly asks, basically talking to Trini's back. Ever since Kim's phone woke her up she's been on her side facing away, and responding _only_ through the group chat. "I'm sorry I forgot to turn it off. But I would've had to wake you up in a few minutes anyway. We have to leave soon."

Trini throws her phone to the ground and rolls onto her stomach, face down in a pillow.

"I'm serious, T. We have to leave a little earlier so we can stop by the  _Krispy Kreme Replacement Store_."

She sort of grumbles, but goes ahead and lifts her head enough to look at Kim. Then she mumbles, "You're dumb."

Kimberly's caught off guard for a few seconds. Because, _hello_ , Trini's right next to her, in _her_ bed, waking up and still kind of asleep, and even if she's mad and glaring a little, it's enough to make Kim forget everything else in the world that isn't in this one moment. If someone were to ask her what her last name is? Nope. Where she's supposed to be going in ten minutes? Who cares.  _Why_ Trini's there in the first place? Her response would literally just be a bunch of question marks.

Eventually, after realizing that she's taking way too long to play this off as normal, she smiles. "Ok... You're insults are pretty tame when you're half asleep. It's kind of cute."

"Did you just call me  _lame_?" She's slightly more awake now, and very offended. It's kind of adorable.

"What? I said 'cute'. Is your hearing really that bad?"

Trini shakes her head, actually pushing herself up into a sitting position. "No. You said my insults were lame."

She has to think about it for a full minute before Kim realizes what she meant. "No, I said they were _tame_."

"Oh."

"So, wait a second." Kim closes her eyes to replay what just happened, and then looks pointedly at Trini. "You called me _dumb_ , and you're going to get offended by me calling you _lame_? How old are you again?"

"Old enough to kick your ass."

Kimberly rolls her eyes and then gets out of bed, moving towards her closet to find some clothes to change into. “Sure. Okay.”

Trini’s still taking her time to get up, looking a bit… miserable. Kimberly almost feels bad about making her wake up and go to detention. What she should do is stay here with Trini, accept whatever consequences they'll get from skipping detention, and let her get some more sleep. If she could, she'd let Trini sleep through the entire day. She really deserves it.

“Why did you call me _dumb_ , by the way?”

Trini runs a hand over her face, shrugging. “‘Cause you're a dork, and you called it the _Krispy Kreme Replacement Store_.”

“You do know that the words ‘dumb’ and ‘dork’ aren't synonymous, right?” She asks, still on the other side of the room.

“They are right now.”

As the conversation goes on, Kimberly's starting to realize that she should just accept whatever Trini’s going to say and move on. Most of it doesn't make sense, and it probably still won't after she's gotten her to elaborate or explain. But it's entertaining, at least.

“If you get dressed in the next five minutes and leave with me, I'll get you some caffeine to go with your doughnuts. I think you could probably use it.”

Trini nods once. “Okay. I'm sold. Just give me two minutes.”

“I already gave you five.”

“Then forget I said that, ‘cause five is more realistic. I'm gonna need those extra three.”

Kimberly watches her for a few seconds, as she's getting up and rummaging through the backpack she brought. “I'm kind of worried about you.”

Trini looks up, all traces of fatigue and semi-loopiness seemingly gone. “What?”

“The amount of sleep you _aren't_ getting can't be healthy. I think it might start to interfere with… you know. Normal stuff you do every day. If you want to stay here and sleep, then we don't have to--”

“I can't ditch,” she says, cutting her off. “And I'll be fine. Promise.”

She's reluctant to let it go, but Kimberly nods and says, “Ok,” before she does something stupid that might make Trini stop talking to her altogether.

 

\--- 

 

**Cracking Open A Cold One (...)**

**[thicczack | billyc | goldenboi]**

**thicczack:** ok so if we think abt this logically, t was obviously pissed when she woke up, so them confessing their undying love for each other last night is unlikely

 **thicczack:** HOWEVER

 **thicczack:** they definitely slept in the same bed because they are both stubborn as hell

 **thicczack:** and we all know kim is cuddly

 **thicczack:** i say progress has been made

 **billyc:** Trini’s also cuddly during movie nights after she falls asleep. But she doesn't like to talk about it when she wakes up. I tried asking about it once, and she told me she wanted to pretend it never happened.

 **thicczack:** ty for ur added analysis, blue, this just proves that this is significant

 **thicczack:** cause t doesn't consciously do that stuff often, and yet

 **goldenboi:** You need a hobby

 **thicczack:** i have one, its called being badass and looking hot

 

\---

 

The two things that make detention bearable are the doughnuts they pick up beforehand, and the notes tossed around with speed and precision that _might_ be breaking Zordon’s personal gain rule. So when Trini runs out of food, she’s stuck between replying to the notes thrown at her, or taking a nap. And she _seriously_ considers the nap; but ultimately decides she got enough sleep at Kim’s to keep her going for the rest of the day. Given the conversation from yesterday--and the fact that she did stay the night--she doesn't want to look like she's totally useless. Taking a nap after all that sleep deprivation talk would only draw more attention to Trini’s problems and… feelings. She doesn't need Kim feeling anymore sorry for her than she already does. So she'll answer whatever notes come her way--reassure Kim that she's fine, tell Zack to fuck off with the teasing, answer Billy’s questions about her keyboard, and thank Jason for not trying to talk to her when she obviously just wants to relax for five seconds.

 The first one is from Zack, _of course_ , so she has a pretty good idea of what it'll say before she opens it. That doesn't do anything to reduce her annoyance.

_“Would u care 2 explain what the hell happened this morning? Also, jw, is K more of a conscious cuddler, or did it happen after u fell asleep?? Was she the big spoon? Ur small, I think u kind of have to be the little one, right? Anyway, Xoxo --Z”_

Thankfully it's tame compared to what she was expecting.

_“Kim asked me to stay over because I was already at her house and we knew we'd both be going to the same place this morning. Also, none of your fucking business.”_

She aims for his head, but he catches it before it can land. He responds quicker than she had.

_“Ok but did u solve the lovers spat u were having this morning?? U guys walked in way more upbeat than earlier”_

Trini rolls her eyes, almost not responding at all. But she throws one more, hoping it'll shut him up.

_“She bought me coffee w/ my donuts. I'm good now.”_

Zack throws another note back after that, but she doesn't open it. It's probably just him calling her whipped or “a simple girl with simple needs” or literally “too gay for her own good”--which are all true, but she isn't going to _admit_ that. Besides, she has a note from Kimberly that's _way_ more worthy of her attention.

She's a little hesitant to open that one, though.

_“So ‘Trini needs a nap’ is just a quirky screenname, and not a true statement in this wonderful sleep palace that is detention? You don't need to cash in the ten minutes I stole from you this morning?”_

Seeing the pink ink makes her happier than she’d like to admit.

The other rangers write in their colors, too, but it's _cute_ when Kim does it. They get onto Trini sometimes because she doesn't use _her_ color, but that's totally not her fault because, “ _I can't write in fucking yellow it won't work!_ ” And then Zack tells her it would work if she _just believed_.

_“Don't worry about it, princess. I've hit my necessary quota for the day. And the coffee helps._

_But ‘sleep palace’????”_

She watches as Kimberly catches her note and turns in her chair to read it. And then the quick scribble she adds to the paper before whipping around and tossing it back before Trini can comprehend what's happening. She almost doesn't catch it.

 _“There are a bunch of people, but it's still quiet, and you're_ _allowed _ _to nap, so? Yes. As long as you're capable of falling asleep here, I consider this a sleep palace.”_

She sends back a simple, _“Thanks Kim”_ and pauses to catch her breath before placing her attention anywhere else.

Until another note lands on her desk, and she realizes that Kimberly isn't done with the conversation.

_“Whose hoodie are you wearing??”_

_“Well, it's red, Kim. Take a wild guess.”_

The color thing aside, she's really just surprised that Kim didn't notice when Jason handed it to her no more than twenty minutes ago.

Trini watches as the realization spreads across Kim's face, and she lifts her gaze from the note with a raised eyebrow.

She's pulling out another sheet of paper before Kim can send anything back, because she knows what _that look_ means, and just the idea of it is… alarming levels of _no_.

_“Don't look at me like that. We share stuff all the time, and it's cold in here._

_And I'm_ _very _ _gay"_

_“I know how gay you are, I'm just surprised you actually took it. Thought you'd be too tough to get cold.”_

Okay, now she's just messing with her.

 _“Shut up. It's big and comfy. And I_ _am _ _tough, but I'm very small and I can't afford pretending the cold doesn't bother me because I'll get hypothermia before I can finish saying ‘fuck you I'll punch the cold in the face’.”_

Kimberly laughs quietly from her desk.

_“Well I'm sure J’s probably gonna want that back. If you remind me, I've got a cheer sweatshirt you can have. Not as big, but it'll still be baggy and super comfy”_

_“Is it pink?”_

_“It's grey. Why? You wouldn't wear it if it were?”_

_“No I would, I just need a heads up so I can figure out how to pull it off without damaging my rep.”_

_“Right. Cause it's so hard making pink look badass.”_

Even in writing, she can _feel_ the sarcasm. Another note almost flies past her head, and she barely glances at the black ink before pushing it to the side. Zack makes a disappointed noise from the back of the room.

_“Pink is your color; obviously you make it look badass. It's like our thing. How many people do you know who can pull off yellow?”_

_“Not many. Pretty much just you, honestly._

_You don't look too bad in red either”_

Oh. That's new.

_“I'm flattered. You should compliment me more often. Knock the guys’ confidence down a few pegs_

_Or probably just Zack’s._

_Actually, Jason too. You know since you two were a hot minute away from being a_ _thing _ _.”_

_“Okay, I'm gonna need you to stop reminding me about that please. We realized it was a Bad Idea pretty fast”_

_“I don't think I can blame either of you. He was the town’s It Boy so… that has appeal I guess?_

_And you're the badass ex cheerleader who cut her hair off mid detention and likes to backflip off cliffs._

_I get it.”_

Suddenly, Kimberly’s responses aren't as fast and it looks like she's having a harder time coming up with a response altogether. Trini assumes she's just multitasking, and that theory is cemented when she notices Jason and Billy are throwing her notes as well.

[It isn't because she's multitasking.]

Detention goes by a lot quicker after that.

 

\---

 

“Just give us a simple beat,” Zack says carefully, as if he knows what he's talking about. Side note: he doesn't.

Billy looks up from his set, drumsticks in hand. “Can you be more specific?”

Zack nods. “Yeah, just… go for it. Start playing something that you normally would.”

Billy thinks it over and then nods, setting up to start playing. It starts off slow, but it's steady, so he eases into a rhythm quickly.

They spend the next hour with Zack attempting to orchestrate something that sounds decent, Jason taking over so everything isn't total chaos, and Kimberly lying on the ground on the other side of the room because she doesn't actually have anything to contribute right now. If anyone asks, she's brainstorming song lyrics.

“Um, no. I told you this was a jam session. The actual _music_ comes later.”

Jason nods. “That's fine, but I still don't think you know what you're talking about.”

“Hear me out, Boss Man. That thing Billy was just doing,” Zack says, and then attempts to mimic the drumming from a few minutes ago. “We pair that with something like, _this_.” He gets a few notes out on his bass, trying to recreate the magic that just accidentally happened.

“With some keyboard _flare_ from me, and electric from Jason,” Trini mutters. “Yeah. This is the third time you've told us that, and it still _doesn't make sense_.”

Zack rolls his eyes dramatically, shaking his head. “Why do none of you share my artistic vision?”

“Because we're tired and would rather watch a movie.”

He shakes his head, pointing a finger at Trini. “No, T, _you're_ tired. Listen. I'm telling you guys, we’re onto something here.”

There are a few moments that follow where Billy plays, and everyone else is trying to “soak in the heartbeat of what the songs will be like.” Oddly enough, they all completely understand what Zack means when he tells them that.

Jason lets out a deep breath, turning to the other rangers with a concerned look on his face as Billy's drumming tapers off into silence. “I feel stressed.”

“Yeah, I can tell. That's why I'm trying to _tell_ you--”

He shakes his head, and holds up a hand to stop Zack from talking. “No. It's not _my_ stress.”

They all look around at each other before settling on Trini, who's looking at the ground. Eventually, she realizes that they've figured it out--and aren’t going to look away--and slowly lifts her head back up to meet their gazes.

“Well all of you staring at me isn't making it any better,” she grumbles, crossing her arms over her chest.

They still don’t look away.

“This is chaotic; we’re all a little stressed. Do you want to--”

“No.”

Jason pauses, hoping that a little patience will work in his favor. “Okay, can just the two of us talk then?”

Trini thinks it over, and then shrugs. “If I say no, none of you are going to leave me alone. So, sure, whatever.”

He nods, walking over to one of the more open corners of the room, waiting for Trini to follow. He’s hoping the others will adopt their own conversation and at least _try_ not to look like they’re eavesdropping. Otherwise there’s no hope of Trini even _considering_ talking to him.

The other three know that--they know it isn’t a moment to be messing around--so Kimberly attempts to wrangle them into songwriting. Or, more accurately, coming up with literally any topic or word or lyric that can _lead_ to songwriting. That pretty much consists of Billy asking what they all like, and Zack saying _tacos_ , and Kimberly telling him that they aren’t writing a song about tacos. (Zack’s going to write a song about tacos just to spite Kimberly.)

“Trini, you know I can feel how stressed you are. You can't play it off like it's nothing,” Jason says while Trini very pointedly avoids looking him in the eye. “And I'm worried because _feelings_ between us are still pretty muted, so I can't imagine how amplified this is for you. Did something happen?”

She shakes her head. “I'm fine. Look at me, dude. You wouldn't know anything was wrong if it weren't for the ranger thing.”

“I know. But that doesn't make me feel any better. We're a team; I want to make sure all of you are doing okay.” He tries to be gentle without sounding like he's babying her--like she's broken or needs to be pitied. “What you said at our first bonfire together, about us being friends or just rangers… You know that the five of us are more than just accidental super heros. We're a family now, and you can yell or shut me out or whatever, but I won't stop caring about you or any of the others.”

“I know. You turn into the _Group Mom_ more and more every day.”

Jason sighs. “I won't say anything to them, but I know this is about _more_ than just us arguing over music. Something's bothering you, and it… it seems pretty significant.”

Trini hates how concerned he looks--how genuine he's being. How he really is the mom friend of the group, and cares about each of them more than they thought possible. That he looks out for all of them, and doesn't brush anything off like it's no big deal. Even if it is. She isn't used to the attention, to someone asking if she's okay and meaning it when they say they hope things get better.

It's new, and it isn't _bad_ , but it's different. She thought she could handle _different_. Having to move and readjust her life, she got used to things changing and started to prefer it that way. But this is people--not a lack thereof, or a place, or a school.

She doesn't like how often she feels vulnerable around these guys.

How often she doesn't _care_ that she's letting her walls down.

She's setting herself up to get hurt.

Jason doesn't mention how he can feel her nerves getting worse; that the stress is turning into anxiety at an alarming rate. He isn't used to it, and it's hard to sit still and keep a straight face at the same time. “You don't have to talk to me. But you can. Anywhere, anytime. I'll listen, and I won't say anything unless you want me to.”

He's about to let it go, because being forceful or unnecessarily persistent is _definitely_ the wrong way to go. Sometimes things like this are going to take time. But Trini grabs his wrist as soon as he takes one step away, so he relaxes back in place.

She immediately regrets it and drops his hand.

He’s about to say something, but she stops him again.

“I didn’t get much sleep these past couple of days. But I’m fine. Just… don’t make a big deal out of it.” _Maybe_ she’s stretching the truth a little. It’s been weeks instead of days, and with all of the arguing and noise from their instruments filling the room, she started to zone out to avoid getting too irritable. [Billy’s already had to take a couple of breaks, but he _left the room_. Which, she now realizes, is what she should've done.] And when she zones out, all that fills her mind are those nightmares. It’s a lose-lose situation.

“Okay,” he says, just about as soft as she had been talking. And he wants to keep asking her about it, because he can tell that she isn’t saying everything; that there’s a lot more to this than just a night or two of bad sleep. But he also knows that isn’t going to happen right now. So he nods back at the others. “Do you think getting your mind off of it will help? We can take a snack break.”

Trini tenses up and her expression hardens so quickly, Jason almost has to double take. It’s like literally watching her walls go up. Weird. Unsettling. She nods, brushing past him to get to the others. “Yeah. Sure.”

 

\---

 

When Kimberly asks Trini if she’ll be okay on her own tonight, Trini tells her she’s been doing it for weeks. Tonight won’t be any different. She has to stop herself from asking if Trini’s sure she doesn’t want to stay over again--getting up early enough to make sure she’s back for church would only cause more stress. She also stops herself from offering to stay at _Trini’s_ instead. Boundaries are a thing that exist, and she needs to respect them.

But if it gets bad enough, she’ll ask. Because something tells her that Trini wouldn’t do it herself, even if it’s what she wants.

 

\---

 

Trini doesn't try to sleep. By now she knows it won't do any good, and even if she did try, she'd just be lying in bed and trying not to stare at the ceiling. Trying not to stare at her newly plastered walls. Thinking that she could take a shower to clear her mind, before she remembers those were ruined for her, too. Water hitting her face, in any form, is ruined for her. So she's trying to put focus on anything that isn't in her room. Trying. Failing. Slipping into a nightmare anyways, because recently she doesn't have to be asleep for stuff like that to run through her head.

This week on _Nightmares_ , starring Rita Repulsa: _Death and torture_ , with guest appearances by her family and the other rangers.

Special Edition: Now airing 24/7, unconscious or not.

She's having a  _blast_.

Jason described it as "stressful" (and he didn't know  _what_ he was describing), but that only proves that he was right when he said their connection was muted. Because if it were just  _stress_? Things would be a lot different right now. She might be able to do something productive, like every bit of extra credit any of her classes offer. Going to school without much sleep means doing work without the right amount of energy. It means she can feel that she's about to start slipping, even if it's a little bit, and she can feel that she  _doesn't care_. She needs to care. Her parents care, and if falling grades get back to them, she doesn't want to know what the consequences would be. But she doesn't have the focus for extra credit, either.

She leaves through her window a half an hour before midnight without any set destination. She walks; through the neighborhood, to other neighborhoods, through the town that's still half under construction, and then down to the train car where they have their bonfires. It wastes enough time to get her through the night.

It's still dark out, but she senses that the sunrise is probably fifteen minutes away. So she needs to get home. Sneak back to her room, wait for her mom to walk in without knocking to make sure she's up, get through Family Breakfast™, and then church. She doesn't know how she's going to deal with that. Normally, zoning out is what saves her. She doesn't pay attention, but still looks like she's tuned in enough to keep her parents happy. That won't work anymore. And she can't have a panic attack mid-service. If she did, she's pretty sure her mother would act concerned in front of everyone, but start yelling as soon as they're alone. Something about embarrassing the family, or acting out for attention. She'd hear something like, " _Why_ are you acting like we don't care about you? Whatever _that_ was is more emotions we see out of you in an entire year, and it doesn't make sense to me. We're constantly asking about you. Where you are everyday, who you're with, if you're with  _anyone_. Use your  _words_. _Talk_ to us."

Yeah. No thanks.

She's just going to have to suffer in silence.


	4. Church and Family Bonding: Trini's Favorite Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Sunday, and things aren't going quite like Trini expected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My entire writing process for this chapter (and probably plenty of future chapters) was just listening to Power Rangers fan mixes and Becky G on repeat  
> And pulling up the movie a hundred times to double check the smallest details like "what's on Trini's kitchen table"

**Ranger Danger**

**[tacos[ _black heart emoji_ ] | goldenboi | billyc | princess.hart | trinineedsanap]**

**tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** i’d like to dedicate this song to my one true love; tacos

 **trinineedsanap:** what

 **princess.hart:** Oh my god, pls tell me you’re kidding

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** um i’d never joke abt smth this serious. now pls let me type this out so u can truly experience the love and devotion. i have work later and need to use my time wisely

 **trinineedsanap:** is it bad that I’m low key kind of scared rn?

 **goldenboi:** No I’m right there w you buddy

 **billyc:** Tacos were the one thing Zack kept talking about last night. Kimberly told him he couldn’t write a song about them, but said he was going to make one anyway. Are you surprised?

 **princess.hart:** No I’m not surprised at all, and that’s why this is so terrible

 **trinineedsanap:** “tacos[ _black heart_ ] is typing…” is the most ominous thing I’ve ever read

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** it’s a simple love

from the start to the end

gone so quick, barely has time to begin

one minute here, the next it’s not

you look back and realize it’s all you’ve got

 

except there’s no starting over

not exactly the same

each time it’s different, change after change

 

they try to recreate

reimagine

reinvent

but it’s a lost cause

and your energy’s spent

 

you can’t turn back time

to experience again

the love and the pain

that you thought would never end

 

so this is for us

and all others out there

who know what it’s like

to lose that fire

 

that made you feel alive inside

i’ll never forget

and never hide

what we thought was forever

or could last a lifetime

 

this is for you, tacos

my queen, my king

an eternal soulmate

i mean

if /food/ is your thing

 

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]** **:** anyway, you’re all welcome

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** it needs some polishing and an actual chorus, so rn it's basically a poem

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]: **but i’ve enriched your lives with this masterpiece

 **billyc:** Okay, I was not expecting that.

 **goldenboi:** Um…

 **goldenboi:** Where did that come from??

 **trinineedsanap:** ok, so am I crazy, or is this actually kind of good????

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** wow i see how it is

 **goldenboi:** If ur crazy, then I am too, bc??? Yes?? It's better than I was expecting

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** would a miss kimberly “princess” hart care to comment??

 **princess.hart:** [ _nervouslaughterwtf.gif_ ]

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** you DOUBTED me

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** you thought it was DUMB

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** zack can’t write serious songs // yes we like tacos but not THAT MUCH

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]: **well guess FUCKING WHAT // NEWSFLASH, asshole! we’ve loved tacos the entire goddamn time!!!

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** [ _tacos?! tacos, sweetie. i’m so sorry. i’m so sorry that ugly ass bitch like this would even say that, oh my god.jpeg_ ]

 **goldenboi:** I didn’t think it was possible to feel this happy and in awe over a group chat, and yet… here I am

 **princess.hart:** Hey, what the hell Trini??

 **trinineedsanap:** whAT DID I DO?

 **princess.hart:** I KNOW you photoshopped that picture for him

 **trinineedsanap:** (the contents of this image do not reflect the views/beliefs of its creator)

 **princess.hart:** You know what

 **princess.hart:** Ok, MAYBE I was less than correct about your songwriting abilities,

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** “less than correct” is a fancy way of saying “wrong”

 **princess.hart:** hoWEVER

 **princess.hart:** A song about tacos is still kind of dumb

 **goldenboi:** *collective gasps from the crowd*

 **billyc:** Can we compromise somehow and stop fighting?

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** yes, hello, i’d like to phone a friend… little t, pls?

 **trinineedsanap:** bold of you… calling me little when you want my help…

 **trinineedsanap:** also, leave me out of this

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** just asking for the truth, not for u to take a side. tell me… how do YOU feel about tacos??

 **trinineedsanap:** I don’t feel safe answering that

 **trinineedsanap:** it feels like an innuendo trap

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** true or false; tacos are your favorite food??

 **trinineedsanap:** ...true

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** i rest my case ur honor

 **princess.hart:** I’m sorry, I won’t accept defeat until I receive hand written confirmation from someone who isn’t you

 **trinineedsanap:** you do know that writing songs about ur fav food isn’t normal, right Z? Like, whether or not it’s a good song aside, if your entire argument is that we love the food, it doesn’t hold much of anything??

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** this is discrimination

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** if we weren’t talking about the FOOD, we’d be having a very diff conversation right now

 **billyc:** Zack, are you sure you know what the word “discrimination” means? Because I don't see how it fits in this context

 **trinineedsanap:** oh my fucking god

 **trinineedsanap:** I feel… idk… like i just read some rlly dirty smut or smth…

 **trinineedsanap:** listen,, I reread the song in the context of NOT FOOD, and I just

 **trinineedsanap:** is THAT what u meant??? Is that what it’s rlly abt?????

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** no, but that’s part of my genius… multp interpretations… [ _winky face emoji_ ]

 **trinineedsanap:** I have to leave for CHURCH in a half hour. I can’t believe you’ve polluted my mind like this

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** u say that like you had a pure mind b4 this, and we all know that’s not true

 **goldenboi:** Are we reading the same "song"? I don't think it works in that context

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** obviously u lack the creative drive to see its suggestive undertones

 **goldenboi:** Remember how I said I was in awe earlier? Now my eyes just hurt. Pls stop

 **princess.hart:** Y O U R  E N E R G Y ‘ S  S P E N T

 **princess.hart:** ZACK

 **princess.hart:** WE AREN'T WRITING ABT THAT EITHER

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** ALL SONGS ARE ABOUT THESE DAYS IS SEX AND DRUGS, KIMBERLY

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** AND TACOS (THE FOOD) ARE MY DRUG

 **tacos[ _black heart_ ]:** SO MAYBE RETHINK UR APPROACH?? AND GIVE IN TO DESTINY???

 **billyc:** Maybe this band wasn’t such a good idea…

 **billyc:** Just for clarification, when y’all are saying “not food” are you using that as a euphemism for sex?

 **goldenboi:** In the context of the “song”, yes

 

\---

 

“Did you get _any_ sleep last night?” Trini’s mom asks towards the end of breakfast. The morning seemed like it might be bearable before this--that hope has now been shattered with one sentence. “What are you doing all day that could possibly make you this tired?”

If Trini used one of the sarcastic or smartass comments she’d normally throw at her parents _right now_ , she’d probably get slapped. She’s almost thankful that she doesn’t have the energy for it. But staying silent just seems to annoy her mother even more.

“I know you can hear me, Trini. Even if that _screaming_ that you're always blasting through your headphones might suggest otherwise. Just… give us _one_ word. Say _good morning,_ or _something_.”

Could she get away with skipping church today? If she fakes sick--actually, she probably wouldn't even need to _fake_ it--then they won't make her go. They let her sleep all day that Sunday after the _power coins_ thing happened (and she and the others got hit by a train). She doesn't know _how_ that happened, but she could probably do it again.

But no. Not today. She needs something that’ll keep her mom off her back for a while, and this _family outing_ has to count for something. She’ll spend time with them for several hours, interact with her brothers, go to church like they want her to so they can tell themselves that she isn't going to be condemned to hell, and try to prove that she might be a disappointment, but she could've turned out a lot worse.

That drug test could've come back positive, but it didn't.

They've gotta pick their battles.

She _could_ say good morning, but she's also stubborn and doesn't want to give her mother that satisfaction. So she turns to her brothers, looking over them before telling the one closest to her, “Your shirt’s on inside out.”

He looks down at himself, slightly stunned at suddenly getting pulled into the action at the table, and grabs at the front of his shirt like he's checking to see if she’s lying. “Aw, man.”

Her mother is a bit more tired than before, but perks up again once she sees her son pulling at the bottom of his shirt. “ _Not_ at the table!”

Trini might accidentally smile from amusement.

Her dad notices, nervously glancing at his wife before turning back and raising his eyebrows.

She drops the smile pretty quickly.

Her mother sighs. “At least sit up straight and get your feet out of the chair. I taught all of you manners; please use them.”

 _That_ might be a little harder to accomplish. Trini shifts uncomfortably in her seat for a second. Straight jokes aside, she isn’t totally sure that she can actually _do_ that. It isn’t like she’s physically incapable of sitting like a normal person, but if she sat up--back straight, feet planted on the ground, arms at her sides--it’d just be… uncomfortable. And sure, maybe bad posture isn’t a good habit to keep, but she figures it’s a little too late to try and mend it now. If she does listen to her mom and force herself to _sit_ instead of _lounge_ , she doesn’t trust how long she’ll be able to force herself to keep still.

Those fidget toy things--spinners? Cubes? Whatever they are--always seemed pretty dumb to her. Dumb and unnecessary and a way for people to make money off of a trend. But right now she really wishes she had _something_ to counteract the urge to shake her leg or pull at the threads on the placemat in front of her.

The stuff that’ll only draw more attention to her.

It takes a while, but she does--reluctantly--get her feet down.

(She’s definitely uncomfortable.)

“Sometimes I just…” Her mother says, trailing off and shaking her head.

“June,” Her father says, and it sounds almost like a warning. Like he knows she’ll end up saying something she’ll regret--or something he’ll need to come in to clean up so Trini doesn’t think they hate her.

But Trini’s already curious as to what she was planning on saying, because breakfast has already been so _fun_ ; might as well end it entirely on a an even worse note. “What? Think there’s something wrong with me?”

“Wonder where our daughter went,” she adds almost immediately.

And, _whoa_. That isn’t what she was expecting. Trini almost wants to tell them to go check San Francisco or somewhere in Hawaii--maybe they’d find her there. Given how fast some of those moves went by, it makes sense they might’ve lost her in all of the chaos.

“She’s still in bed,” she says instead. “I can go get her, if you want.”

Shit. Bad idea. Of course it was a bad idea--most of her ideas are bad when they involve interacting with her family.

What the hell happened to her plan of _not saying anything?_

They’re all staring at her; different degrees of a shocked expression on their faces. Her father: pure shock. Her brothers: some mixture of awe and fear (for whatever consequences she’ll get from _that_.) And her mother: anger.

Wonderful.

“Boys, go get dressed,” her mother says, not breaking eye contact with her. Her brothers take a few seconds to get out of their seats, mostly because they want to know what happens, but then end up just booking it to their rooms. They’re (a little) scared of what might happen if they don’t listen to their mom.

She doesn't know what to expect, but she’s kind of scared, too. Even when her mother sighs and speaks calmly instead of yelling at her.

“What did we do to make you hate us so much?”

God. _That’s_ a big question. “What did you _do_?”

That just gets her some more surprised expressions. Trini’s pretty surprised, too--she didn’t think she had the energy to say anything, and now… Well, she’s saying enough that might end up getting her grounded for a year. But it sort of feels good to get it out. A bit of a rush and some relief at the same time.

She was _going_ to say, _“I don’t hate you.”_ But what she actually says is much worse. Because it’s like a rule of the universe that Trini has to fuck up everything in her life even when she doesn’t have to.

“I don’t know. Maybe made me feel like I’m not welcome in my own house? That I can’t _talk_ to you like you want me to, because every time I do, you brush it off or pretend you never heard it. Because anything I want to say is stuff you don’t want to hear. What am I supposed to do when you want to change literally _everything_ about me? If you hate me, I don’t see why I shouldn’t hate you, too.”

She can’t tell if there’s more confusion or shock going around right now, but it’s probably a pretty even mixture.

Then her mother gently says her name, and Trini knows she’s about to lead into some mushy _feelings_ stuff. The whole, _we don’t hate you, you’re just difficult_ , speech that she really doesn’t want to hear right now.

So she does what she does best, and runs.

Okay, so she stumbles out of her chair a bit first, but _then_ she runs. Right out of the house. And she doesn’t realize how terrible of an idea that is until she’s actually outside and can no longer hear her parents calling after her.

She doesn’t know where she’s going, and she’s still just in a t-shirt and sweatpants (she always puts off getting dressed for church to the very last minute), but… at least she got herself out of actually _going_ to church, right?

No, that was probably a pretty dumb thing to do.

 _And_ she left her phone.

Oops.

 

\---

 

“ _Kimberly_ !” Trini wouldn’t have expected her to be awake this early on the one day of the week any of them get to sleep in, _but_ she responded to the group chat an hour ago. So she _was_ awake. And, it totally makes sense that she’d go back to bed after that, but Trini really doesn’t care about what _makes sense_ when she’s stuck sitting in a tree outside of Kimberly’s closed window. She really wishes she _had_ grabbed her phone. Because Kim’s ringtone seems to be the only thing that is consistently able to wake her up.

She starts throwing sticks at the window next. And she’s trying to do it to where it’ll make a loud enough noise, but she also knows that she could probably break the window if she isn’t careful. _But_ she _would_ be able to get inside…

“ _Kim!_ ”

Finally, she sees some movement. And after a few more moments, Kimberly’s opening her window and squinting against the sunlight--half still asleep and half confused.

“What the fuck?”

Trini drops the last stick she has in her hands and moves forward, almost pushing Kim out of the way so she can get inside.

“Jesus, it took you long enough.”

Kimberly stares at her and then turns her head to check the clock on her dresser. “I don't know how to tell you this, T. But _this_ isn't a church, and _I'm_ not Jesus. I think you got your directions mixed up.”

 _Haha_. Very funny.

“That _is_ where you're supposed to be, right? What's going on?” She pauses. “Are you okay?”

“I'm…” Trini shrugs. “I said some stupid things to my parents and ran ‘cause I freaked myself out.”

“How stupid?”

She shrugs again. Realistically, it probably wasn't even that bad. It was a lot, and maybe a little intense, but she was probably overreacting. Right? “It could've been worse.”

Kim nods, blinking a few times before sitting on her bed again. Because she almost _jumped_ out of bed a few seconds ago, the headrush is finally catching up to her and it's making her a bit dizzy. “So you don't want to talk about it, then?”

“No.”

Just like the headrush, some details from earlier are starting to register in her mind, too. She looks at the window. “Were you throwing sticks at my house?”

“Yeah.” Trini pauses. “You're looking pretty intense to be thinking about sticks right now, though.”

“I'm just glad you didn't decide to be more romantic and use rocks. I've already had to explain a broken phone, and _‘It fell out of my pocket while I was hiking,’_ probably won't work as an excuse for a broken window.”

Trini makes an affirmative noise.

They sit in silence for while. Kim can barely process that so much time is passing, but it's way too long for Trini. She can handle silence; it's a big part of her life. But _awkward_ silence? _Awkward silence_ around her _best friend_ who she's _secretly into_? Absolutely not.

Since running here was a split second decision, Trini didn’t have time to grab shoes. And that seems to be the only thing Kimberly can currently focus on, based on where her eyes are locked. But then she looks back up and starts talking as if they hadn’t just been completely quiet for five minutes. “So, do you want to talk about something else, or do you want to sleep? ‘Cause I think you’re giving me some secondhand fatigue, and I'm about to pass out in, like, the next fifteen seconds.”

The stubborn part of her wants to say _no_ , that _she'll be fine_ and _she probably shouldn't have come; she can just go hang out with one of the guys_. But the tired part of her is much stronger right now; especially after that emotional end to breakfast and the full sprint she took to get here.

“Do you have somewhere else you need to be?” Kim asks again, and Trini shakes her head. “Then come on. Don’t tell me you aren’t tired right now.”

No, she definitely is.

“We can get a few hours if we sleep right now. I have to leave at noon.” Kimberly readjusts to be lying down now, and pulls the blanket over herself. “And if you really don’t want to, then… Just don’t trash my room, alright?”

It isn’t like she came here for some other specific reason. She doesn’t really know _why_ it was her first instinct to run here or what she was planning on doing initially, but she might as well use this time to get some (much needed) energy, right? As long as she’s here and Kimberly’s offering.

She gets onto the bed before she can talk herself out of it.

“Wake me up if you need me,” Kim says before throwing an arm around Trini’s waist and promptly passing out.

It takes Trini a bit longer before she manages to fall asleep, but she _does_ manage it.

It’s been a pretty weird morning.

 

\---

 

**Cotton Candy**

**[billyc | princess.hart]**

**princess.hart:** hey, are you home?

 **billyc:** Yes

 **princess.hart:**  it's Trini. I don't have my phone w/ me, so I'm borrowing Kim's for a second. Are you busy or can I come over? I was going to stay here, but Kim has somewhere she needs to be

 **billyc:** I’m working on something right now, but you can still come over if you want. I thought you were spending time with your family today.

 **princess.hart:** I was supposed to be, but some weird stuff went down with my parents. I can explain what happened when I get there. Thanks, B

 **billyc:** Sure, it’s no problem.

 **princess.hart:**  could you open the door when I get there, though? I don’t think your mom would let me in if I don’t have any shoes

 **billyc:** Yes

 **billyc:** Why don’t you have shoes?

 **princess.hart:** I’ll explain that in a few minutes, too

 **billyc:** Ok, see you then

 

\---

 

“Hey, Billy?” Trini says, glancing up from the the papers she had been doodling on. “I just got… really calm. Is that coming from you?”

Billy barely glances up from his work station. “Possibly. I'm pretty relaxed right now.”

That whole _ranger sensing_ thing has always confused them. The connection through the morphing grid--that makes sense--but how… selective it is isn't all that clear.

“Do you know how that works? Why only some of us feel each other's emotions, and it isn't everyone?”

He shakes his head. “I haven't come up with anything that really makes sense. For a while I thought it was random, but then I had this theory that it'd be whoever we were thinking about in that moment. But that doesn't work because we aren't always thinking of each other when it happens. But I guess it could be whoever is most prone to feeling or experiencing that emotion. But… are you normally calm?”

Trini barely has time to say, “Not really,” before he starts talking again.

“Unless proximity is factored in… It's interesting, but, no, I don't have anything solid. I'm sure Zordon could tell us if we went to him about it.”

“Yeah. I guess so.”

They sit in silence for a few moments, Billy working on something that Trini can't even begin to understand, but she likes just sitting with him. Especially if it's calming her down like this.

“Is there something going on between you and Kimberly?”

There goes the calm.

She clears her throat. “Um. What… What makes you ask that?”

Billy shrugs. “Jason and Zack have been talking about it a lot recently; that they feel the tension when you're in a room together. But they’ve never said they got any input from either of you, so I thought I'd ask for your point of view.”

“I… I’m not really sure, B. Kim’s my friend, like the rest of you guys, but… sometimes I'd like for her to be more than that. I don't think she feels the same way, though.”

“You guys _are_ pretty close, so I'm sure you'll figure it out. You seem really important to each other, even if it isn't the exact same way for both of you.” He pauses, looking over his machinery (Trini isn't sure, but it's a pile of _something_ that looks vaguely dangerous), and then moves a few things around.

“How are you doing?” Trini asks. She figures if anyone might be going through the same thing as her (or something similar, at least), it’d be Billy. “I mean… Have you been having trouble sleeping, or anything?”

He pauses, thinking it over. “Well… yeah, sometimes. But when that happens, I can just work on one of my projects, and it doesn’t bother me as much.”

“So you just ignore it? And that works?”

He shakes his head. “No. Back when my dad died, I started getting into projects like this, too. But I was still remembering what it’d be like when he was around. And it… it was hard accepting that he was gone, but doing things like this helped me cope. It still works that way. If I’m afraid to go to sleep, I can just walk over here and think it through, and that doesn’t mean that I never get scared about not waking up again, or anything like that, but it makes it easier. If it gets worse, I’ll text Jason to talk about it. Or I’ll text all of you guys because it reminds me that this is real. And I did die, but you all brought me back.”

Trini nods, lowering her gaze to think that over.

“If you’re having trouble with stuff like that, it might help if you talked to us about it. Or, if you found something that you can do to keep you grounded while you think about it,” Billy says, doing something else at his station that looks like it’s requiring a lot of focus. “Like your yoga stuff!”

If she had a dollar for every time someone’s solution was for her to _talk to someone_ , it’d probably be a big enough bribe that she’d actually do it. But she isn’t getting any money, so _talking_ doesn’t look very likely for her right now. She knows that Billy means well, but… Everyone copes in different ways, right? Maybe hers is… something that isn’t talking.

[Her own thoughts don’t even sound convincing to herself anymore.]

Then there's a loud pop and a few sparks flying up, and Trini jumps back to avoid getting hit. It _looks_ like he's rearranged a couple of lava lamps into cylinders that line the top of his working station. It emits a blue glow to the rest of the room.

“It worked!” he exclaims, clapping his hands and grinning at Trini.

“Whoa, dude. That… is pretty dope.”

“ _Billy! What was that? What happened?_ ” Is shouted from upstairs, and Billy replies that they're okay; there was just a minor electrical problem that is totally under control now.

“I wrote some music, too, if you want to look over it,” Billy says, already moving across the room to retrieve some papers. “Well… sort of. I'll send it to the group chat later, but you're the only one who doesn't fight about how we sound.”

That may just be from a lack of attention--and caring--in an effort to keep her thoughts straight, but she guesses _avoiding unnecessary conflict_ works too. “Hey, if you don't mind me asking, why’d you _do_ that?”

She's gesturing towards the lava… cylinders. Billy nods simply. “I wanted to make something that represented us as rangers. Because blue is my color, and these lamps kind of remind me of how we looked glowing in the water when we jumped off the cliff the first time, I thought it'd be cool to have it here. So it feels like you guys are around even when you aren't… I think it's calming. I'm going to try and make more with everyone else's colors, too. Then it’ll _really_ look like the cave.”

“You're gonna put them up there, too?”

He glances up and then shrugs. “I'm not sure yet. Maybe. It depends; I'll need to test out a few things first. If not, I could give them to you guys… or find a place on the ship.”

“Wow…” she trails off. “That’s seriously cool.”

Trini watches long enough to see him smile, and then turns her attention down to the papers he gave her.

“Thanks.”

Thankfully it provides enough of a distraction that she doesn't have to think about what'll be waiting for her at home tonight. She has to ask for clarification at a few parts, but overall it seems like it could really do something for them. That's just in theory, though. Nothing ever seems to go right when the five of them try to work together on music. Fighting as a team? Easy. Organizing a band? Not so much.


	5. That Little Nightmare Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rangers get emotional

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter might be a little intense. Mostly just kind of emotional, but there are a couple of parts w/ more focus on PTSD and a bit of depression

**Black and Yellow**

**[z | trinineedsanap]**

**z:** hey

 **trinineedsanap:** hey

 **trinineedsanap:** u ok? Ur name is oddly minimalistic

 **trinineedsanap:** also, its like 1am

 **z:** yeah i'm good

 **z:** just felt like talking

 **trinineedsanap:** where are you

 **z:** train car

 **z:** u don't need to come down here tho

 **trinineedsanap:** u sure? Cause I'm not doing anything else rn

 **z:** nah it’s ok

 **z:** im sorry i tease u all the time abt kim and stuff

 **z:** i know i shouldn't be so pushy when every time I bring it up u just tell me to fuck off

 **trinineedsanap:** I know ur just messing w me, dude

 **trinineedsanap:** yeah it's annoying sometimes, but if it seriously bothered or made me uncomfortable, I'd make sure u knew

 **z:** still I know how much of an ass I can be

 **z:** most of the time for no reason

 **trinineedsanap:** yeah but u aren't the only one, z

 **trinineedsanap:** we all get annoyed w each other

 **z:** yeah I know

 **trinineedsanap:** are you sure you're okay?

 **z:** yeah don't worry abt it

 **z:** i'm gonna go anyway. I think i'm gonna try and get some sleep

 **trinineedsanap:** alright

 **trinineedsanap:** just text me again if u change ur mind

 **z:** sure thing little t

 

\---

 

**Bros™**

**[z | goldenboi]**

**z:** thnx for always being here for us man

 **z:** like I know ur the leader and stuff and it's like ur job, but u do it really well and u care abt us and I just really appreciate it

 **goldenboi:** are you drunk?

 **z:** idk

 **z:** but I love u buddy. I love all of u and I don't say it enough

 **goldenboi:** love you too?

 **goldenboi:** hey dude if ur drinking, just be careful. Ok? Don't do anything stupid

 **z:** see this is what I mean abt being here for us, ur always looking out

 **goldenboi:** it's almost 2 in the morning, bro. I'm gonna go back to sleep

 **z:** that's ok have good dreams

 **goldenboi:** thnx

 

\---

 

**A Bruise/The Dress™**

**[billyc | z]**

**z:** I know ur probably asleep, dude, but thanks for backing me up with the band idea

 **z:** ur awesome and u love all of us so much

 **z:** we love you too

 **z:** I just feel like we don't remind each other about this stuff often enough

 

\---

 

**Emo/Scene Aesthetic**

**[z | princess.hart]**

**z:** I don't mean to be so stubborn and difficult all the time, kim. sometimes I just don't know when I'm going too far

 **z:** sorry that I'm not good at realizing when stuff needs to be serious instead of a joke

 **princess.hart:** What? Are you okay?

 **z:** yeah

 **princess.hart:** You aren't difficult, Zack

 **princess.hart:** Maybe just a little high maintenance

 **z:** it's ok, we don't have to talk about it. I just wanted to tell u that

 **z:** I didn't mean to wake u up, u can go back to sleep

 **princess.hart:** I keep my sound on for a reason; don't worry about it

 

\---

 

**Ranger Danger**

**[z | billyc | goldenboi | princess.hart | trinineedsanap]**

**trinineedsanap:** ok, which one of u is two seconds away from throwing a tv through your wall, cause I really don't need to break anything else in my house rn

 **goldenboi:** What?

 **trinineedsanap:** someone just got really angry, and I'm abt to throw a tv through my wall for no reason

 **goldenboi:** Oh. It's not me, but I think I might feel some of that too. It's kind of faint

 **goldenboi:** And I'm staying at Billy's tonight, and he's still asleep, so it's not him

 **princess.hart:** Not me

 **goldenboi:** Zack was texting me earlier, and it was kind of odd but I just thought he was drinking

 **princess.hart** : He texted me too, apologizing for being difficult

 **trinineedsanap:** me too… we should go look for him then, right? It was two hours ago, but he said he was at the old train car

 **goldenboi:** Yeah. So if u can feel his anger, do you think he's dangerous?

 **trinineedsanap:** it's pretty intense, but I don't think he'd do anything about it

 **trinineedsanap:** whoa wait

 **princess.hart:** Hello depression my old friend

 **princess.hart:** Is that him too? I just got really sad, but it's not from me

 **trinineedsanap:** no I feel that too

 **trinineedsanap:** it's him

 **princess.hart:** Oh no

 **trinineedsanap:** I'm already on my way, can u guys meet me down there?

 **princess.hart:** Yeah

 **goldenboi:** Yeah, after I get Billy up we'll be otw

 

\---

 

Trini barely remembers to grab shoes before she jumps out of her window, and she _really_ hopes the weather isn't gonna give her any surprises because she's basically just in pajamas. Once she's outside, it seems like the sky is going to stay clear, but she doesn't pay much attention because all she can focus on is running about as fast as she can down to the cliffs. At least, she's _trying_ to focus. The sadness isn't fading or changing, and it's so intense that she's close to breaking down only halfway there. She almost forgets where she's supposed to be going, but that slight hint of  _this is Zack--it's coming from him_ is present enough that she can latch onto it and use it to keep her head clear.

Then she sees him. Sort of. It's what looks like him, but she isn't totally sure because he's lying down on _top_ of the train car and it's too dark. But there's that ranger thing that none of them fully understand, so she _knows_ that it's him the closer she gets.

“I told you you didn't have to come down here, T. You should've gone back to sleep.” His voice is strained and not as light as usual, and Trini tries not to connect that to the thought of him crying.

“You kind of need to be asleep at some point to be able to go _back_ to it,” she says, looking up at him from her spot on the ground and stuffing her hands into her sweatpants pockets. “I was awake the whole time, so around three I suddenly felt like using my newly plastered walls as target practice. It didn't take long for us to figure out who it was coming from. The others are on their way.”

He sighs. “Oh.”

“Did something happen?”

Instead of answering, Zack slowly pushes himself up into a sitting position, his legs hanging off the side of the car. She can't tell if he's looking at her, but his head is hanging a bit.

They both feel it before they hear anything--Kimberly running up and stopping as soon as she realizes they're there.

“Hey,” she says, looking between them and taking a deep breath. “Are you okay?”

Zack shakes his head, but firmly says, “I'm fine.”

“Really? ‘Cause it doesn't feel like it.”

He stares at her, confused for a few moments.

“We can both feel it,” Trini says.

“What happened?” Kim ends up asking because Zack still isn't responding. Then she adds in a more gentle tone, “I've felt like this before, Zack. You're not fine.”

He shakes his head. “Wait for the guys to get here so I can talk to you all together.”

Trini and Kimberly share a nervous look. Seeing Zack so down isn't all that common, and they can feel just how _not fine_ he is, and it's… worrying. They don't _want_ to wait. It'd be easier to be there for him if they knew _why_ they were there. But it's important for them to all be together for this. Whatever it is. Waiting, even if it isn't for very long, is awkward and only makes the three of them more fidgety. Zack kicking his legs that are hanging over the side of the car, splitting up the silence around them with periodic  _thuds_. Kimberly glancing around the area, trying to keep an eye out for when they guys start getting close. Trini forcing herself to keep her hands in her pockets, but rocking back and forth on her feet so she can be doing  _something_. It's hard not to just jump up and join Zack on the train just to be closer to him. That'd comfort _her_ , but she doesn't know what _he_ needs right now.

It takes a few more minutes before Jason and Billy get there, and when they do Billy almost looks like he's still asleep. But he's still looking at Zack with a concerned expression, so he must be awake enough that Jason could fill him in on the way here.

“What's going on, man?” Jason asks gently.

Zack shakes his head, staring at the ground. “My mom’s getting worse.”

None of them wanted to admit it, but they knew it was a possibility. The level of sadness they felt, how much they know Zack _loves_ his mom, and how he's talked about not knowing how long she has left. That's when some of the pain the other three had already been feeling starts to hit Jason and Billy.

“We don't know anything else. It's like the doctors just say whatever they can to confuse you, and then throw out a bill so they can get paid. I tried to keep it together until she fell asleep so she wouldn't have to see me like this. And I was hoping you'd all be asleep too.” He shrugs. “But I did start drinking a bit. Not much. But it was enough to make me want to text you guys, because… I know I need to make the most out of the time I have left with my mom, and make sure she knows how much I love her. And when she's gone… you guys are all I'll have left. I want you to know how much you mean to me, too.”

Trini takes a step forward, close enough to touch the train car. “Zack…”

“No, I don't want to talk about it. Not now. That's why I didn't ask any of you to come out here tonight.”

“But you shouldn't be alone,” Jason says.

Billy nods. “We're here for you. We don't have to talk to have your back. Sometimes being around each other is the best thing we can do to feel better.”

Zack looks at all of them for a few moments before nodding. He's used to handling emotions like this on his own. Sometimes he forgets that he has people now--four people who have become an extension of his family.

At that, Trini pulls herself up to sit in the space next to him. The others follow, Kimberly next to Trini, and Jason and Billy at Zack’s other side. Trini grabs his hand first, lacing their fingers together, and then the others do the same to where they become a ranger train of hand holding and leaning into each other. Except Billy, who’s looking hesitantly at Jason's free hand and leaving a bit of space between where they sit.

“You don't have to, Billy,” Jason says once he notices where the other boy’s gaze is.

He nods, staring at his hand for a moment longer before looking up at the sky in content.

They don't talk.

Even if Zack wanted them to, no one would really know _what_ to say. There's too much they'd want him to know, but too much that can't be properly conveyed with just words.

They fall asleep like that, but it doesn't last long. It was already early, but Trini’s phone alarm goes off at five-thirty so she can have enough time to get back home. Which means they get close to an hour and a half of sleep.

“ _No_ …” Zack groans, drawing the word out. He blindly reaches out before finding Jason’s arm and throwing it over himself like a blanket.

Trini begins to reluctantly sit up, but Kimberly’s grip around her waist tightens, and she falls back down without even trying to put up a fight.

“No way,” Kim mumbles. “Just turn it off.”

Trini relaxes back into the surprisingly comfortable group cuddle they've got going on, and does just that before almost immediately falling back asleep.

“Um… guys?” Billy says, now sitting up and fully awake. Being the only one to actually get a good amount of sleep before running down here, he has enough energy to get up and process that it's a Monday. He waits for one of them to make a noise in acknowledgment. “If we don't get up we'll be late for school. And it _would_ count as a sick day, but I'm not sick, and what if I _do_ get sick and have to miss and it goes over the amount of days we're allowed? If I get in more trouble on top of my detentions I might get suspended, and... But, I guess that wouldn't matter if we _can't_ get sick… because of our ranger stuff. But we don't know that yet. And the sun is about to come up, and we aren't sleeping with a roof over us, so it's going to heat up out here pretty fast.”

Zack makes another disappointed noise. “Why do you have to be so responsible?”

“Do we _have_ to?” Kimberly asks, still mostly asleep.

Trini moves her head slightly, like she's trying to shake it. “No. You guys can leave without me. There's no way I can make it back _and_ change clothes in time without my mom noticing I was already gone.” She pauses, and then sighs, sadly saying, “I've missed sleep.”

“Thank _god_.” Kimberly also lets out a deep breath, and then snuggles a bit closer to Trini--if getting closer is even possible with the way they all fell asleep. “I'm skipping too.”

“Me too,” Zack mutters. He pushes Jason’s arm away and then flips over onto his stomach, snuggling up to Trini’s other side.

“If I wake up and I can't breath, I'm blaming both of you,” she says, but it's so quiet they wouldn't have been able to hear if they weren't basically on top of her.

Billy looks over them. "If you really aren't getting up, you could move  _inside_ the train car to avoid the sun waking you up."

"Too much work; no thanks," Zack mumbles.

Jason actually makes an effort to get up, knowing that even if he wanted to, he can’t afford to skip any classes. He also doesn’t want to abandon Billy; the other three rangers are very obviously _not_ getting up anytime soon. “Looks like it’s just us today, buddy.”

“Oh. Are you sure we shouldn’t--”

Jason shakes his head. “Nah, they aren’t getting up. We should just let ‘em be.”

 

\---

 

The heat isn’t what wakes them up, because it doesn’t get as hot as they expected. (None of them had checked the weather recently, so they were going off the assumption that it’d be like every other day. But it isn’t.) It stays at a relatively cool temperature up until it starts to sprinkle five hours later, and then it gets cooler.

The rain doesn’t exactly wake them up, either; not really.

That little nightmare problem Trini has resurfaces, except this time it's about ten times worse than usual. She feels the few drops of water on her face and doesn't even have time to panic before it's happening again. Rita's there, and she's frozen in shock, and this _can't be real._ But it feels so _different_ than the nightmares she'd usually have… So it has to be real. Because it feels like it is. The water is _water_ , and the weight on top of her is so present, and she can _hear_ her laughter, and there's no way her brain can be imagining all of that so vividly.

She can't move. Can't fight back. Can't scream for help. No one’s home anyway; even if she could it wouldn't do any good. Can't morph. Can't call for help. Can't even depend on their fucking ranger senses, because those apparently don't work now. Probably has to do with whatever magic Rita uses to raise putties and gold monsters and whatever else she's done to cause pain and destruction. She can't _breath_.

None of them can.

Trini can't breath. Kimberly can't breath. Zack can't breath.

That's what wakes them up. The desperate need for air and feeling like they're all two seconds away from their deaths.

In the first few seconds that they're sitting up and getting the hang of breathing again, the fear that Kimberly and Zack are feeling starts to mix with confusion. They don't remember having a nightmare; they barely remember that they fell asleep outside on the train. Then it hits Kimberly, because she _has_ felt like this before.

“What the fuck?” Zack kind of coughs the question out.

The rain is coming down a bit harder now--less like a sprinkle, a little more than just a drizzle--and it _really_ isn't helping them to relax like they need to. It's making it harder for Trini to realize that she's awake and not in any danger.

“Trini,” Kimberly says, turning to the other girl and putting a hand on her shoulder before she can think twice about it. Trini jumps at the contact and Kim is quick to draw her hand back. “Hey, you're okay.”

Trini's eyes are closed and she has her head in her hands, trying to block everything out. She can't think about it--whatever that nightmare was--but she knows they'll still ask. It felt so… _real_ . And she can't… She just _can’t_.

It won't go away. She stays up all night in her room because that's where it happened and, yeah, good luck distracting her enough so she'll feel safe there. She stays with her brothers and suddenly Rita has _them_ , and she has to sit back and watch because she's stuck. She's tied up or something--whatever it is, she can't move. Rita's using that gold scepter thing that she almost killed Zack with--sucking the life right out of people. Her family. Her brothers. She tries falling asleep on her living room couch, but it's a much bigger room than her own. Way more space--more ways for Rita to get in--more stuff to throw her into--glaringly more obvious that she's alone. And when her mother finds her there in the morning, it's just another lecture-slash-interrogation. She stays at Kim's place, and that… that seems like it could actually work. When she wakes up, scared out of her mind, she immediately feels Kim next to her, and having someone that close is calming. But it's only happened twice, and she isn't sure if it's going to keep being a thing. And if it is, how long before that's ruined and Rita's going after _Kim_?

She falls asleep outside, cuddled up next to Zack _and_ Kimberly, but it rains, and of-fucking-course it has to rain and ruin the best five hours of sleep she's had in a really long time.

The less sleep she gets, the more likely it is that she'll see a flash of green where there is none. Hear Rita’s laughter in the midst of her friends having a conversation. The now healed scars on her neck burn like they're new again. It rains, she showers, water hits her face for any reason, and she's experiencing that panic and terror all over again. The constant presence that something is _wrong_ , something's _off_ , and Rita _somehow_ survived that bitch-slap into space.

It really fucking sucks.

“T?” Zack asks, glancing over at her. “That was from you?”

Kimberly nods to answer him, but she doesn't take her eyes off of Trini.

Trini's trying not to cry. She doesn't _do_ that--she doesn't cry in front of people if she can help it. She's trying to wipe the water from her forehead, because if it's still there, she can't think about anything else. She doesn't care if it makes sense; it won't go away and it's so _irritating_ because it's just  _there_ , and it isn't supposed to be this hard to get rid of water. But it's still raining, so she isn't going to get any peace anytime soon. And she's tired of being strong, and she's drained, and really doesn't have the energy to keep those fucking walls up right now. And she knows she'll regret it later, but right now she just doesn't care.

She lets the tears fall, and she still just wants the water to _go away_ , but it won't. Then she feels them both move to wrap their arms around her. It's confusing--trying to figure out how she feels about it.

She’s starting to think Billy was right. About her talking to them and actually trying to _deal_ with what’s going on with her instead of hoping it’ll go away. [She always _knew_ he was right; she just didn’t want to acknowledge it.] She shouldn't even be complaining. Billy died, and he's dealing with it. All that happened to her was Rita breaking into her room and throwing some stuff around. [The fact that _she_ was the stuff doesn't change anything.]

Hell, she's the  _reason_ he died. The reason Zack almost died. Why  _all_ of them almost did.

Unfortunately they're holding onto her tightly enough that she can't get out of it and run away.

“How long has it been going on?” Zack asks after a few minutes. By now they're all pretty much soaked from the rain.

She considers being vague about it like she tried to do with Kimberly, but decides against it. Decides against saying anything at all; just shakes her head.

He doesn't respond, but that's probably for the best. Hearing him ask again, or saying that _she should've said something_ isn't going to make a difference _now_.

They sit like that, holding onto each other a little tighter, for a few minutes while they try to process what's just happened and what they need to do next. Eventually Kimberly suggests that they go around the corner to dry off at her house. Getting out of the rain is the one thing that currently makes sense, so the other two agree pretty quickly.

Trini doesn’t say anything more on the entire walk there.

Changing would be ideal for all of them, because then they'd be dry and warm and have an easier time relaxing. But there's no way Zack could fit into any of Kimberly's clothes, and she doesn't want to risk rummaging through her father's things to find something else. Zack says he'll be fine--the damp look works for him anyway--but Kimberly tells him that he can use her dryer for the clothes he's wearing now. As long as he doesn't mind having to stay in his underwear for a few minutes.

He decides that's a much better idea.

She isn't thinking about personally changing just yet because most of her focus is on making sure Trini’s okay. After last night, she's definitely keeping an eye on Zack, too, but Trini's still visibly shaken from that nightmare, so they’re trying to decide on the right ratio of _comforting her_ to _leaving her alone_. Normally she'd have a pretty good idea of what Trini wants or needs, as far as trying to feel better, but now it's… different.

It isn't just the two of them, for one thing. And sure, it's just Zack who's with them, but even if they're all comfortable around each other, the dynamic doesn't fit with the context. The three of them together would normally mean _lighthearted and fun doughnut eating contests_ or _how much money are we betting on the next sparring partners in the pit?_ And Trini's comfortable in Kimberly's room--preferably curled up on the bed--but not stuck in the living room, awkwardly wondering where she needs to be to avoid giving all of the furniture water damage.

“I don't know if you want to shower, but I have some clothes you can change into,” Kimberly says after she’s shown Zack to the laundry room. She's hoping the light conversation will help to ease the tension.

“Why are we all such huge fucking messes?”

The subject change catches her off guard slightly, but it's easy to adjust to. “Um… what?”

Sort of.

Trini shrugs. “Jason's dad is always on his back about being a failure, and he has those ‘leader responsibilities’ or whatever. Billy's still constantly bullied at school. _And_ he literally died. I don't know what he might be going through because of that, but it’s definitely worse than whatever’s happening with me. Zack's Mom is sick and getting worse. It's just the two of them, and Zack has to take care of her, keep a job, go to school sometimes, _and_ leave time for ranger stuff. You're still dealing with the fallout from…” She pauses, letting herself trail off. Because Kim knows what she means; clarification is unnecessary. “And I heard what you told Zack last night. That you'd felt like that before so you _knew_ he wasn't okay. And on top of my preexisting family issues, _I've_ got PTSD. We're all fucked up.”

“Oh. Well, yeah. I guess we are.”

“That’s songwriting gold, yellow! We’re tortured artists!” Zack yells from the laundry room, and Trini promptly crosses her arms and rolls her eyes. “How do you think I tapped into the _magic_ of my taco song?”

“He’s giving me a headache.” Trini closes her eyes.

“No, I think that’s from not getting any sleep and sitting through a several-minute-long panic attack. Your brain wants you to slow down.” Kimberly shakes her head, turning around and heading for the stairs. “We’re gonna go change, Zack! Don’t break anything!”

“Ditto!”

Trini turns around, ready to run back and punch him for that comment, but Kimberly steps back to put a hand on her shoulder. _Gently_ this time, so she doesn't scare her with the contact. “You can hit him later, _after_ you’re in dry clothes.”

The aggravation and reluctance is really only for show by this point, but she draws it out until they've actually reached Kim’s bedroom. She sobers up pretty quickly once she processes that they're _changing_ , and she hopes to God Kim isn't expecting that they'll both be doing that at the same time _in her room_. This entire week is just gonna be a rollercoaster of emotions.

Trini was never a big fan of rollercoasters in general, but the emotional kind are now _especially_ unappealing to her.

 

\---

 

“So… do you want to talk about yesterday?” Kimberly asks, walking back into the room. She had gone to her bathroom to change.

Trini looks up from her spot on the bed. “What do you mean?”

Kim shrugs. “You climbed in through my window when you were supposed to be at church, and only told me that you had said some stupid things to your parents. I’m just wondering if everything was okay when you got back home last night.”

“Oh. Um…” She begins to pull at the sleeves on her sweatshirt, bringing the ends down to cover her hands. Honestly, she was hoping that Kim had been too tired to remember what they (very briefly) talked about. This isn’t something she’d want to talk about in general, but after what’s happened in the last half hour? If it weren’t still raining, she’d probably just run again. “They asked why I hated them, and I said it’s because they hate me, too. When I got back, they pulled me aside, gave me the speech about how worried they were, told me about twenty times that they don’t hate me, told me _a hundred_ times that they love me, _they want what’s best for me_ , and then added that I can’t just run away without them knowing where I am. So…”

“ _Do_ you hate them?”

Trini shakes her head. “No. Sort of wish I did sometimes. It’d make things easier… They said we’re going to communicate more. _Things are going to change_. I’m not gonna hold my breath for that to happen.”

“They don’t get it.”

“No. They just wanted a quick fix. They basically just realized _shit our daughter thinks we hate her,_ and that’s _not good_ . You know? But I don’t think they were even listening. They still care too much that I don’t fit the idea of me that they have in their heads; _don’t_ care that I called them out for wanting to change so much of me.”

“I’m sorry,” Kimberly says. “That sucks.”

She shrugs. “Kinda. But whatever.”

Kimberly wants to say something more--tell her that she shouldn’t brush those things off like they don’t mean anything. But how much bigger of a hypocrite could she be if she did that? _Don’t ignore your problems; that’s unhealthy_. Yeah, maybe look in a mirror and say that before trying to preach it to anyone else.

“We should probably get back downstairs before Zack starts getting nosy,” Trini says. She can feel the tension starting to come back, and would very much like for it to go away, so she’s up and out the door before Kimberly can respond.

 

\---

 

**Emo/Scene Aesthetic**

**[z | princess.hart]**

**z:** i didn’t know t was getting nightmares like that

 **princess.hart:** She didn’t tell me either. The only reason I knew is because of the ranger sensing thing

 **princess.hart:** Even after I told her I could feel it, she still didn’t tell me much

 **z:** why is she so stubborn

 **princess.hart:** Idk, but she says she sleeps better when she’s around someone else

 **z:** but she was around both of us and that still happened. It was rlly intense??

 **princess.hart:** I mean, that’s what she told me. When she stayed at my place that didn’t happen. If she woke up, I didn’t feel it, and she seemed mostly ok in the morning.

 **z:** maybe bc we were outside?? Idk why, but??

 **z:** w/e, now that i know, get ready for spontaneous naps EVERYWHERE bitch

 **princess.hart:** Same

 **princess.hart:** Lunch? Bio?? Who needs those?

 **z:** not me, not you, not red, t, or blue

 **princess.hart:** Clever

 **z:** i’m still offended at how little faith u have in me and my poetry/songwriting skills

 **z:** i think t’s getting suspicious at us BLATANTLY texting each other when she’s sitting right in between us

 **princess.hart:** Next time maybe be more subtle?

 **z:** subtle?? I don’t know her


	6. The Literal Queen of Being Extra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Kimberly!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ch. isn't as intense/emotional as the last one, but it is from Kim's pov, so it might be /a little/ intense in some parts 'cause she's dealing w/ some depression [etc.]
> 
> Also, the whole "picture" thing is so confusing to me. So I literally went through the movie to find all of the scenes that reference what happened [I even rewatched the deleted kim/jason kiss scene bc there are a few extra lines about what went down] to create an outline, but I still have so many questions?? So I just ran w/ what I could
> 
> And thanks for all of the comments!!!

Kimberly has a system for how she maneuvers through school days. There's a five minute window three times a day--morning, lunch, and dismissal--that she has to use to switch out her things from Trini's locker. If it's any other time, she risks a few specific people noticing-- _cough cough, Amanda & co _ \--and accidentally putting another target on Trini's back. She has a feeling that'd have more consequences than just another vandalized locker. She keeps her head down in the classes she shares with her ex cheer “friends” or the people who associate with them, and she's perfected the art of ignoring anything they say to her when they pass each other in the lunchroom. The bathroom thing took a bit longer, but she _sort of_ remembers Amanda and Harper’s schedules and what area of the school they're normally in. And she has to go for the bathroom on the other side of the school more often than not, but it _works_.

It _did_ work, but somewhere she messed up, and she's at the sink trying to calm down from what _might've_ been an anxiety or panic attack. She isn't sure, and she doesn't know if it's actually from _her_ or one of the others, but she's really only focussed on not flipping the fuck out before they’ve even had lunch. And she hears the voices and laughter that are so familiar to her--so _stuck_ in her head--that she doesn't think she'll ever forget what they sound like, and it only makes her attempt to chill out worse.

There's a second before she moves that she considers just staying there, and letting whatever they might want to throw at her today happen. She knows what she does and doesn't deserve--almost _wants_ it to happen because things have been going _remarkably_ well lately. If something bad is on its way to even things out, she’d rather it happen sooner than later.

She ducks into a stall right before the door opens. If the panic attack isn’t going to pass any time soon, she _really_ doesn’t need to risk bursting into tears as soon as one of them just _looks_ at her. It feels like that’s all it could take to set her off.

“What? No. There's _no way_ ; you have to be messing with me,” Amanda says, clearly amused by the conversation.

“Cross my heart. I couldn't make this up if I tried.”

“Then I guess that means we can actually _look forward_ to Friday night for once.”

“Oh, definitely.”

There's a pause--just the sound of bags opening and the water flipped on for a few seconds.

“The lighting in here sucks. Why didn't we stop at the good one by the English hall?”

“Because we were closer to this one, and Mr. Beecher gives tardies if we're late.”

Amanda makes a disappointed noise.

“Did you notice they _still_ haven't put that locker door back?” Harper asks, shattering Kim’s slight hope that she wouldn't be brought up at all. It isn't like she's around to provoke them, and she _knows_ they have their own lives that they'd much rather be talking about, so the topic revolving around anything but her shouldn't be unlikely. The timing is what’s unfortunate.

“Yeah. That freak tore it right off the hinges with her bare hands, somehow dented it, and then threw it into an open classroom or the stairwell or something. They had to order a new one, but it isn’t exactly a priority with half the town destroyed by… whatever attacked.”

“Wait, really? Is that even possible? She's tiny.”

There's a pause before Amanda replies. “Drugs? Steroids?”

“So Kim didn't go to the office and try to rat us out?”

“No. But that isn't a big surprise. It's just like her to get someone else to do her dirty work, and stand back while they take the fall. Got her little girlfriend thrown in detention with the rest of the breakfast club to keep each other company.”

“Really?”

“What?”

“ _Girlfriend_?”

Amanda makes an affirmative noise. “I ‘ _don't know_ ’.” Kim can imagine the visual air quotes around those words. “But I've got a few ideas for how we can find out. You've seen them together, right? Everyone thinks her and Jason Scott are a thing, but the way she looks at whatever-her-name-is is the same way _he_ looks at that Cranston kid. It's kind of ridiculous.”

“Unless they're _all_ into each other.”

“Oh my _god_. That's a good point.”

“You know where her locker is?”

“I haven't been paying attention, but I don't think…”

Their voices taper off as they leave the bathroom, and Kimberly stays in the stall for a couple seconds more just to be safe.

“ _Fuck_.”

Then her phone goes off and she jumps.

“Shit. Jesus Christ.”

It isn't looking like she'll be able to _calm down_ anytime soon.

 

  **Pink Lemonade**

**[princess.hart | tiredandgay]**

**tiredandgay:** did u steal my beanie the other day?

 **tiredandgay:** hey where are you?? Are u okay?

 **princess.hart:** In class

 **tiredandgay:** you're a better liar in person than over text

 **princess.hart:** I’m in the bathroom by the math hall, but I'm ok. I just needed a second.

 **tiredandgay:** you know, we all say we're ‘fine’ and ‘okay’ a lot for people who are so fucked up

 **tiredandgay:** and you can say that all you want, but I'm literally feeling what you're feeling rn, so…

 **princess.hart:** How'd you know it's from me?

 **tiredandgay:** just a feeling

 **tiredandgay:** and it looks like I'm right

 **tiredandgay:** stay where u are, I'll be there in five minutes

 **princess.hart:** No, class is starting. You don’t need to ditch for me for no reason

 **tiredandgay:** right, bc i normally need a reason

 **princess.hart:** Seriously, T, I’m just gonna go to class and wait it out

 **tiredandgay:** first of all, i know u aren’t going to class. Second of all, i’m gonna be there before u get finished arguing w me, so u might as well just let it happen

 **princess.hart:** Fine ok

 

Kimberly leans against the wall by the sinks, hoping she'll have _actually_ calmed down by the time Trini gets there. It sort of works--not completely, but enough to be able to hold a verbal conversation.

The door opens and she hears a soft, “Kim?” before Trini steps in completely and notices where she's standing. “Hey.”

She nods, but keeps her head down. “Hey.”

“Did something happen to make you freak out like that?” She asks, stepping closer. “I thought I was having a panic attack.”

Kim shrugs. “No. It kind of just hit me.”

Trini nods and they sit in silence for a few seconds. “That happens sometimes. There isn't always a reason.”

“Yeah,” she says, but it sounds like her mind is somewhere else.

Trini notices. Keeping to the background most of the time apparently means she's _really_ observant, because that isn't all she notices. And she's taking her time, like she doesn't know if she should say anything about it. If they're really in a place to be having a serious conversation right now.

“Kim?” She asks, but there isn't any kind of response. Not even an acknowledgment that she heard her. “ _Kimberly_.”

“What?”

Trini raises her eyebrows at her. “You're shaking.”

Kimberly glances down at her hands--that are, apparently, shaking--and then stuffs them in her pockets. “Yeah…”

“I swear to god, if you tell me you're fine right now, I might punch you in the face.” (And even though that'd be a bit counterproductive, she believes her.) “Do I need to do anything? I can go to the office and tell them you're sick. Get us some excused absence slips, and you won't have to stay here for the rest of the day.”

She's about to shake her head, tell her that if she waits it out, she'll be good. But she hears two sets of footsteps coming down the hall, and those catch her attention. And then she notices the makeup bag sitting on one of the sinks closer to the door, her eyes widen, and she feels like an idiot.

“Fuck.”

And then she's moving, ignoring Trini's questions and grabbing her to pull her into one of the stalls--the one that’s as far away from the door as possible. It isn't ideal; it's such a small space, and they basically have to be pressed up against each other to fit. But it'll have to work. She's just hoping that her mind will stay elsewhere so she doesn't end up focusing on just _how close_ they are.

“What the hell are y--” She doesn't get to finish the question. Kimberly's got a hand over her mouth because it's the quickest and quietest way she can think of to keep them from being heard. But Trini gets the message.

She pulls Kim’s hand off and gives her a look that communicates the _what the fuck are you doing_ non verbally.

Kim holds up a finger to tell her to wait, and it's only a few more seconds before the footsteps match up with the bathroom door opening.

“...sort of wish I had. I hate that class.”

Realization covers Trini's face, and she nods slightly to show that she understands what's going on.

“You think he'll really notice if we just stay in here for the rest of the period?” Harper asks. There's the sound of a backpack opening and closing, but no sign that they're leaving just yet.

“No. Worst case scenario, we were having ‘ _lady troubles_ ’. Last time I told him that, he cut me off and just let me go.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. He didn’t even question why _both_ of us needed to come back for that bag.”

There’s a pause.

“Did you ever hear back from that guy?” Amanda asks.

“Which guy?”

She laughs. “Come on. After Kim left, I didn't think _you'd_ be the one to reclaim the _Most Full of Yourself_ award. We both know there's only _one guy_.”

Kimberly rolls her eyes; it's a less painful alternative to letting herself look too much into that comment. Trini wants to roll her eyes too, because is it _really_ that hard for those two to go five minutes without mentioning Kimberly at all? But she's trying to focus on keeping still and not making any noise and hoping Kim can get through just a few minutes of this before the two of them get out of this stuffy school. Being stuck like this _probably_ isn't doing anything to prevent another panic attack from springing on them.

Definitely not when they’re starting to notice how close they are. But not in a good way. It’s a really small space, and them being stuffed into the same stall makes it even smaller, and, wow, is it starting to get hot in here?

When was the last time they were in a confined space, the heat increasing, and the threat of them not being able to _get out_ slowly growing? Right. The zords. The zords that were slowly getting crushed and pushed into what they thought were their deaths. That’s just _perfect_.

“Yeah. But… I don't know. He seems kinda clingy. A little desperate. It's kind of a turn off.”

“Oh, for sure.”

“We've gotta stick with guys from football or baseball or something. They're the only ones who know what they're doing.”

Thank _god_. Something to distract them from where they’re standing.

It takes every ounce of Trini’s willpower to _not_ bust out laughing at that. She doesn't even know what they're really referring to, but at any angle it's still ridiculous. Those Straight Boy™ jocks know how to flirt? Date? Kiss? Any of that sexual stuff? Better and more skilled than anyone else?

She _really_ doubts it.

Kimberly notices that she's struggling and has to close her eyes and bite her tongue to keep a straight face too. [There’s probably a straight joke in there somewhere.]

“No, I know what you mean. There was this one party with--God, I don’t even remember his name. But it was really late, so we were _just_ the right amount of dr--”

Kim’s phone goes off. Again.

Of course it does.

Kimberly _“My Phone Has A Volume Button???”_ Hart, living up to the name.

It seems like all four of them freeze in shock for a solid ten seconds.

Then Amanda speaks up. “Didn’t realize we had an audience.”

Kim sighs, psyching herself up to face them. But Trini’s moving instead, muttering, “For fuck’s sake,” under her breath, and holding a hand out to keep Kim back while she steps out of the stall. She does her best to make it seem calm and nonchalant while simultaneously trying to keep them from seeing that there’s anyone else but her in the room.

It seems to work.

“‘Sup heteros.”

It almost hurts Kim to hear her say that. When it’s just the five of them, they can talk about whatever they want. They’re comfortable around each other--or they’re in the process of _getting_ comfortable--so joking about their sexualities is easy for all of them. But in public it’s different. Mostly just for Trini, because of her family and all the years of repression and confusion and _that_ whole mess. She _wasn’t_ ready to be screaming it from the rooftops.

She didn’t get the choice. Because now that she's hanging around her band of misfits--or, more specifically, new social rejects Kimberly Hart and Jason Scott--she’s been getting a lot more attention than usual. And a lot of that focus is centering in on her flannels and beanies. It was a joke at first. Some kid in detention saying, _“What? Are you gay or something?”_ and she ignores all of those comments, but _ignoring_ them might as well just be confirmation. She couldn’t make herself _lie_ , so when people just started assuming… she went with it.

She wasn’t exactly outed, but she also sort of was.

She’s adjusting.

Apparently “adjusting” means owning it and pretending like nothing's bothering her.

“Cute,” Amanda says with a completely unamused tone. “Is Kim’s coming out gonna be that subtle, too?”

Trini stares at her, confused. “Don't know where you've been, but I'm pretty sure she's been _out_ for awhile now. Or maybe I missed the _read more_ on that Coming Out Day post where she added _‘psych! Not bi, actually straighter than a meter stick’_. But that'd be a pretty shitty thing to do, even for her.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time she’s made something up just for the attention.” She pauses. “Is there a reason you were back there being a creep, or is that just a hobby of yours?”

“Just trying to avoid the interaction that’s happening right now.”

“So are you going to leave?” Harper asks.

Trini crosses her arms. “Nope. Not planning on it. You two can stay if you want, but if we’re gonna keep talking about football players, getting wasted at parties, and how much of a bitch Kim is, you’re going to dislike me as a conversationalist even more. Just a heads up.”

“Oh, so you _don’t_ think she’s a bitch, then? At all?”

That’s kind of a complicated question. One that she isn’t sure how to answer. “I don’t see why you care.”

That response gets their attention even more. Trini not being able to actually give them a _yes_ or _no_ is… interesting. Maybe things over in Kim’s new bright and shiny _I have friends who like me_ world aren’t looking so bright and shiny anymore. “Oh, I’m genuinely curious. I don’t know what you could possibly see in her that would overshadow what she did. She was my best friend. We _literally_ grew up together. But in the end that didn’t mean shit to her.”

She’s not wrong. Kimberly’s been over it a thousand times. By now she’s thought about it so much, she isn’t even totally sure of _why_ she did it in the first place. And that… Yeah, that kind of makes it worse, doesn’t it?

“Consider this as me looking out for you. If you see yourself taking that spot, being her friend, falling for her, or whatever the hell is going on in your ragtag group of misfits,” she says. “Don’t be surprised if and when she stabs all of you in the back.”

Trini takes a deep breath. “I know.”

Kimberly feels almost defeated, but she isn’t surprised.

Everyone’s stopped talking, and she can’t _see_ the stare down that’s going on between the three, but she can feel it. And Trini might be outnumbered, but Kim’s been on the receiving end of some _really_ pissed off glares from both parties. She knows where she’d place her money.

“Come on. We’ve got better places we could be,” Amanda says.

Trini watches them leave, not letting up on her glare until they’re completely out of the room. Even then she waits just a few more seconds before giving the clear.

Kimberly steps out of the stall carefully, as if Amanda and Harper could suddenly reappear out of nowhere. They don’t. She lets out a deep breath and shakes her head. “ _Why_ did you do that? You’re so stubborn.”

“And _you’re_ an idiot.” Trini doesn’t hold back with that one.

She looks up, surprised. “What?”

“It isn’t that hard to put your phone on silent, Kim. There’s _one switch_ , and it’s right next to the volume buttons.”

“Oh… Right. I know.”

“Really?” Trini asks, raising her eyebrows. “Because I’m pretty sure you’ve never had you’re sound off on your phone for as long as I’ve known you.”

Kimberly rolls her eyes, because that’s _a bit_ of an exaggeration. “Okay. Well, I know it’s there now.”

When she realizes Kim _still_ isn’t going to take her phone back out, she pulls her own out of her back pocket and opens up the messages app.

“ _Now_ what are you doing?”

She doesn’t respond. Just hits send, puts her phone back in her pocket, and crosses her arms to wait for the message to go through.

And Kim’s phone rings again. She almost doesn’t want to check it, but she’s pretty sure the look Trini’s giving her right now is the same one that made Amanda and Harper run off just a couple of minutes ago.

 

**Pink Lemonade**

**[princess.hart | tiredandgay]**

**tiredandgay:** TURN YOUR FUCKING SOUND OFF. PLEASE.

She resists glaring at Trini, and instead very pointedly holds her phone up to flip the volume switch to silent.

“ _Thank you_.”

Kimberly steps back, running a hand through her hair in exasperation. “You’re so extra. I can’t believe you just _texted me_ to make your point when we’re literally standing only two feet away from each other.”

“ _I’m_ extra?” Trini asks, incredulously. “That’s rich coming from you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Trini starts to hold up a finger for each point she makes. “When we first went back to the mines, after chasing me up a mountain and across a canyon, you pulled me off of a fucking cliff to get me to follow you. You cut your own hair off in a school bathroom during detention. You offered to research churches to impress my mom just so I could stay at your house for _one night_ . You made Zack go back to the bakery to buy you a whole new bag of doughnut holes after he stole _one bite_ from your regular, normal sized doughnut. You _regularly_ go cliff diving in the middle of the night--and you jump off _backwards_. And you stole my beanie.”

“That last one doesn’t even make sense.”

“It does because it’s my favorite, and I really want it back.”

“Okay. Whatever.” She rolls her eyes. “ _You_ ripped the door off of my locker and threw it into an open classroom. You _jumped across that cliff_ just to avoid talking to us. And… you wear beanies when it’s hot outside.”

Trini shakes her head. “Fuck off. That’s not extra; it’s a fashion statement, if anything.”

“Yeah, a really _extra_ fashion statement.”

“You realize your list was way shorter than mine, anyway, right?”

Kimberly doesn’t totally understand how a difference of _three_ is a huge gap, but she isn’t going to get into it. Mostly because she can’t think straight enough to come up with anything else, and she knows Trini probably still has plenty more to add on to her list. “Fine. I’m dramatic. But you _are_ stubborn. You didn’t need to face Amanda and Harper like that. I was going to do it.”

Trini sighs, beginning to relax again. “I know. But I also knew that you were trying to recover from a panic attack, and them throwing emotional abuse at you wasn’t going to help your mental state at all. And you wouldn’t have stood up for yourself.”

“It was _my_ phone that rang, so it was _my_ fault,” she says, and then thinks, _Like most things are lately_ . “And _you_ were recovering from a panic attack, too, so you can’t use that as an excuse.”

“So why did it go off?” Trini chooses not to acknowledge that she was basically just called out, and steers back to deflect any focus off of her. “Who was texting you in the middle of what's _supposed_ to be class?”

Another message was sent sometime between turning the sound off and checking her phone now, but it's the same person both times.

 

**Ranger Danger**

**[z | billyc | goldenboi | princess.hart | tiredandgay]**

**z:** anyone else rlly want some pizza rn??

 **z:** also who the hell is pissed off AND turned on at the same time, and what subject could u possibly be in for that to occur?????

 

“It was Zack,” Kim says, and she isn't surprised. She _is_ , however, trying to ignore the second message entirely. Because _pissed off but turned on_? Yeah, that's probably her. “You got it, too. He sent it to all of us.”

“Of course he did. Give me a second.” Trini pulls her phone out, and Kimberly watches as an expression she can’t decipher flashes across Trini’s face.

 _Please, dear god, don’t let her assume that he’s talking about Kim._ That’s the last thing she needs right now, but, now that she thinks about it, it would probably be the perfect addition to her already terrible day. And it isn’t even noon yet, so there’s plenty of time for more to go wrong.

 

 **tiredandgay:** yo z, are u sure u aren’t projecting? Sounds like smth that’d come from you

 

When Kim sees the message she lets out a breath of relief.

“Okay.” Trini sighs, sliding her phone back in her pocket. “So are we leaving or not?”

Kimberly shrugs, readjusting to the change in conversation. “I don’t know. As much as I’d love to _not_ be here, we already skipped yesterday. If we make it a habit, Jason’s gonna lecture us.”

“Whatever. It can’t be any worse than what my mom might throw at me, so that isn’t much incentive to make me wanna stay.”

“Right. How did you explain being marked absent yesterday?”

Trini almost looks smug. “I told her it had to have been an accident. That I missed when they called attendance because I had my headphones on. ‘It happens all the time’.”

“She believed that?”

“My mom subscribes to _Denial Weekly_ , but I think she actually bought it this time,” she says. “I’m just glad I got the lecture about _listening to devil music when it interferes with my education_ instead of _sneaking out, skipping class, and lying about it_ . She might’ve taken away my headphones and vaguely hinted at some unpreferable consequences if my grades slip down _a point_. But my window isn’t bolted shut, and I’m not barred from leaving the house on my own, so I take that as a win.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah. So, as long as I can smooth talk my way into a couple of excused absence forms, I know where I stand. Whether or not we actually do it is up to you, but we should make a decision fast because I don’t want to get caught ditching in here.”

Kimberly tries to seriously think it over, but just ends up smiling and attempting to suppress her laughter. Trini looks at her like she’s crazy, so Kim quickly shakes her head so she can explain. “Sorry. I just… I just imagined you trying to sweet talk and flirt with the office TA, and…”

“Do I _want_ to ask who the TA is?” She asks carefully.

“Uh…” She pauses to laugh again. “It’s just a little Freshman guy. Already thinks he’s hot shit, so if you turned up and tried to… Someone like _you_ showing an interest in him? You’d give him such a confidence boost, I can’t even imagine...”

Trini rolls her eyes. “I’m really glad you’re enjoying this, but I said _smooth talk_ and it was an exaggeration. I wasn’t planning on flirting with anyone, you dummy.”

Kimberly laughs harder. “Did you just call me a _dummy_?”

“Yes,” she says after closing her eyes and sighing.

“Oh my _god_. You’re adorable.”

Trini looks away from her and to literally anywhere else in the room. “Shut up. No I’m not.”

“You are. I promise it isn’t a bad thing; it’s cute.”

“You know what? It looks like you’re in a much better mood, so I guess I’m just gonna go ahead and leave, and you can spend the rest of the day with the guys. Okay? Cool. Have fun.” Trini spins around and starts walking towards the door.

After realizing that she isn’t joking this time, Kimberly calms down enough to stop laughing. “No no no. Wait, T, I’m sorry. I seriously didn’t mean to upset you.”

Trini stops, but stays facing the doorway.

Kimberly takes that as an opportunity to take a few steps closer. “I really wasn’t trying to piss you off. So I’m sorry I laughed, but I still think you’re adorable.”

Before she can stop herself, Trini starts to smile. And then she turns around again. “Alright. But you better give the best performance of your life when we get to the office and convince them that you’re sick, or this won’t work.”

“I thought your smooth talking was our ticket out of here.”

“I’m not afraid to hit you, Kim. Even if you are ‘sick’.”

They both go ahead and leave the bathroom, making their way towards the main office. Kim shrugs. “I don’t know. I think I could take you. Maybe this time I’d land on top.”

Trini’s stunned for a few seconds before saying, “I might be okay with that.”

[Kimberly didn’t think that would be her response, so she might be freaking out just a little. Again.]

 

\---

 

**Black and Yellow**

**[z | tiredandgay]**

**tiredandgay:** Next time u decide to mention IN OUR GROUP CHAT that you know one of us is turned on, maybe don’t???

 **tiredandgay:** process of elimination dude. You ask who you think it might be from and go down the line. Jesus Christ

 **z:** OH MY GOD

 **z:** after ur response, i was almost pos it had to be u, but i still cannot believe…

 **z:** and since i was lucky enough to experience that too, u gotta fill me in on what happened. my imagination and curiosity are through the roof rn. i need the deets

 **z:** like first off, what class were u in??? we finally solve the mystery of what the sexiest subject is

 **tiredandgay:** I wasn’t in class

 **z:** ok ok continue…

 **tiredandgay:** I felt smth kinda off from Kim, so i went to check on her in the girls’ bathroom, and

 **tiredandgay:** do u rlly want the full story for this??

 **z:** yES u can’t cut me off after an intro like that. i’m invested now pls continue

 **tiredandgay:** so she wasn’t 100 percent, you know? I was asking if she wanted me to take her home or w/e, and then she low key flipped out and pulled me into the nearest stall, and i was like??? But it was amanda and harper coming down the hall, and then INTO the bathroom we were at

 **tiredandgay:** so we played it cool to wait it out, but then SOMEONE [YOU ZACK TAYLOR] decided to send a msg in our gc, and everyone--u, blue, red, zordon, alpha’s cousin the talking roomba, the entire high school population, and god, probably--knows that kim doesn’t know how to put her phone on silent or dnd. So her phone rang and we got busted, but i pushed kim further into the stall so i could get out w/ out them noticing her

 **tiredandgay:** and it worked and i got them to leave, and then i yelled at kim for not turning her phone sound off, and she kept saying “ya i know” but she still wasn’t doing anything? So i texted her to TURN HER FUCKING SOUND OFF PLS, and she finally did, but

 **tiredandgay:** that’s where the pissed and turned on thing comes in

 **z:** THAT’S where it comes in??? It hasn’t happened yet??? you’ve had an eventful morning, girl

 **tiredandgay:** anyway, she called me extra, and i was low key shook bc? The literal queen of being extra said that to me? So we went back and forth calling each other out, and…

 **tiredandgay:** ...ya, i’m gay

 **z:** oh girl

 **z:** u sure are. and rlly into kim apparently. like... now that i know it was from u and bc of kim, i feel kinda weird abt it

 **z:** but i still felt it, so… honestly i’m a little surprised u didn’t just jump her right there

 **z:** omg wait. did you???

 **tiredandgay:** ah yes. The girls’ bathroom just screams passion and romance

 **tiredandgay:** no I took her home, dude

 **tiredandgay:** *took her home bc she wasn’t feeling well, and I’m being her FRIEND and PLATONICALLY hanging out w her. Speaking of, i need to stop talking to u and actually pay attention to her, so [hand peace sign emoji]

 **z:** mhmm… ok i gotchu buddy

 **z:** u might have a few paragraphs of my thoughts to read through when u get back, but i’ll try to keep it concise. seeya later crazy girl

 

\---

 

**Emo/Scene Aesthetic**

****[z | princess.hart]** **

 

 ** **z**** changed the group name to  **Strawberry Oreos**

**princess.hart:** Did you seriously have to send that in our group chat?

 **z:** i didn’t know who it was coming from and i didn’t think it was that big of a deal i’m sorry???

 **princess.hart:** It’s just

 **princess.hart:** If Jason and Billy had responded and said it wasn’t them, and if T knows that it isn’t her, then that doesn’t leave many other options does it??? And I was w/ her at the time, so??? It would be VERY obvious that i wasn’t turned on by anyone else in the room, ‘cause there was NO ONE ELSE IN THE ROOM

 **z:** wait omg

 **z:** are u telling me that it was YOU??

 **princess.hart:** Y E S

 **z:** ok wait a second. can u talk me through what happened bc

 **z:** i went through it too, so it’s only fair that i know why i was feeling like that

 **z:** i’m shook

 **princess.hart:** I’ll tell you if you promise not to be an ass

 **z:** scouts honor

 **princess.hart:** Alright. So. Trini ranger sensed that I wasn’t all that ok, and met me in the bathroom even tho I told her to go to class. And Amanda and Harper left a makeup bag in there, so when I heard them coming towards us, I pulled her into an empty stall, bc I really didn't want to deal with them. But I'm a dumbass and my phone wasn't on silent, so when u first texted, it rang. And I was abt to face them, but Trini basically pushed me out of the way and kinda stared them down.

 **princess.hart:** And then they were gone, and I was telling her she was stubborn, and she called me an idiot and yelled at me, and I yelled back, so… hence the pissed/turned on combo

 **z:** so… u were angry cause u were arguing, but u still thought she was hot when she yelled at you?

 **princess.hart:** ...yes

 **z:** kinda kinky… must be why ur so into her during training… cause you're literally beating each other up…

 **z:** i gotta say, kinky kimberly, I'm not surprised. u don't seem like the vanilla type

 **princess.hart:** You said u wouldn't be an ass

 **z:** I was never a boy scout, so my scouts honor doesn't exist

 **z:** but I'm sorry, I'll stop

 **z:** if it makes u feel better, I was just texting t, and I can pinky swear she doesn't think it was from u

 **princess.hart:** That is kind of a relief. Thanks

 **z:** no prob, bi bob

 **princess.hart:** I know you're talking about my hair, but it just looks like you're calling me Bob

 **z:** *ain’t no prob, girl w bi bob

 **princess.hart:** A little awkward, but I guess it works

 **z:** like u whenever ur around t

 **princess.hart:** I want to be upset with you, but I can't bc that's very true :/

 **z:** but it works!

 **z:** straight up, just… think abt how trini is w you compared to how she is around us dudes… I'll give u a min, just think abt it

 **princess.hart:** Ok, but it makes sense she'd act that way bc I’m her best friend and the only other girl on the team

 **z:** ...I thought I was her best friend…

 **z:** [ _they ask you how you are and you just have to say that you're fine when you're not really fine.gif_ ]

 **princess.hart:** You're the most dramatic person I know, and I’m including myself in that pool so u know you've made it to Top Drama Queen™

 **z:** I graciously accept my crown, but it won't fill the void in my heart…

 **z:** also, maybe you're right… but just… next time ur w her just try to look at things through ur bi/gay-detector goggles for an hour or two

 **z:** if I'm wrong then u can forget I even said anything

 **princess.hart:** We can both be her best friend you know

 **z:** bi/pan solidarity motherfuckers!

 **princess.hart:** Do you run solely on caffeine? Cause ur energy is all over the place right now

 **z:** it makes up about 70% of my entire being so ya

 **princess.hart:** ok I gtg

 ****z:** ** keep me updated, hart

 

**\---**

**Ranger Danger**

**[z | billyc | goldenboi | princess.hart | tiredandgay]**

**goldenboi:** @Kim and Trini, where r u guys?

 **z:** they went home bro

 **goldenboi:** ?

 **goldenboi:** Why didn't they tell us?

 **z:** idk. they told me

 **billyc:** They didn't say anything to me either

 **z:** kim’s sick or smth, so little t took her home. they were prob too distracted to realize they didn't tell you

 **goldenboi:** Sick how?

 **z:** idk they didn't tell me that much

 **z:** does this mean training is canceled??

 **goldenboi:** Not until I hear back from them. And three (maybe 4) of us are still perfectly capable of training, Zack. We don't need to cancel

 **billyc:** We don't need to. But we're all so tired all the time, maybe we should take a skip day, too. Overworking ourselves might make a spontaneous battle harder to fight.

 **goldenboi:** I won't make a decision yet… I'll let you guys know before school ends.

 

\---

 

“Oh… oops,” Kimberly mumbles to herself as she looks through her phone.

Trini looks up. “What?”

“We forgot to tell Jason and Billy that we left.”

“Oh. So Jason’s _worried_ now, or something?” She asks, kicking Kimberly’s desk so she’ll spin in a circle in the swivel chair she’s taken over.

Kimberly nods. “Yeah. Zack told them I was sick, and they don’t know what’s going on. Wouldn’t you be worried?”

Trini makes a noncommittal noise.

“I don’t know what to tell them. I’m not really sick…”

“Just tell them you’re having an off day; it’s basically the same thing,” she says, kicking off against the desk again. But as soon as she’s facing Kim, she puts her foot down to stop spinning. “ _Actually,_ if we’re already on the topic, we might as well go ahead and talk about earlier.”

Kim should have seen it coming, honestly. A lot went down--a lot was _said_ \--and they obviously aren’t just going to let it slide and pretend nothing happened. “Oh.”

“Yeah, _oh_ .” Trini nods. “You had a panic attack. You were _literally_ shaking earlier. You wanna talk about what that was?”

“You said it yourself. Sometimes those things just happen. I freaked out. I’m having an off day.”

Trini stops herself from reacting too quickly and accidentally breaking the chair she’s sitting in. She pauses to take a deep breath. “Are you serious? Is this really what we’re doing right now?”

Kimberly shrugs. And she knows it’s a longshot, and probably the wrong thing to say, but she has to try _something_. “I don’t need to bring my problems up when you already have so much on your plate.”

“That’s not how it works, Kim. We were all there for Zack when he needed us, and just a few hours later, you two were there for me. We’re always going to have a lot on our plate. That doesn’t mean we sideline one of our problems just because someone else is still going through theirs.”

She knows that--and that's why saying what she did was a longshot--but it doesn't make her want to talk about everything going wrong in her life any more. The lingering depression, the occasional panic attack, the self-hatred and constant crushing reminder of how much she fucked up every time she looks at her phone or walks through the school doors. The self-hatred thing alone is… well, it's a lot, and _not_ something she's about to delve into. She isn't about to throw herself a pity party. “Mm…”

“If I got you out of class, you owe me _something_.”

She owes Trini more than that, but even just _talking_ isn't looking so good. And it's terrible because she's such a hypocrite; constantly telling Trini that they can _talk to each other_ and all that bull, when she can't even do the same back. “I don't know how to talk about this stuff. I just… I _can't_ talk about it. I'm sorry.”

Trini sighs, leaning back in her chair.

“My parents are making me see a therapist,” Kim ends up saying. She decides that's the closest she can get to opening up without having to actually do it. “And believe me, I'd much rather be talking about this stuff to you guys than some random person I'll feel judging me the whole time, but…”

It isn't ideal, but it's something. And Trini's ready to run with that. “I don't think they're supposed to judge you. That's kinda the point of therapy; that you can _talk_ about stuff openly.”

Her parents told her the same thing. “I know that, but I don't _know_ that. At least with you guys, even when I fuck up, you'll still be stuck with me.”

“We aren't stuck with you. You know none of us feel like that.”

Does she? Maybe sometimes she does, but after hearing Trini say she knows Kim could stab them all in the back still, Kim isn't so sure how they feel anymore. And it isn't like she can _blame_ them. There are some times when she feels stuck with herself, too.

Those aren't good days.

“Yeah…”

“Well, damn,” Trini says. “I thought you were my best friend. But I guess I've been thinking too much of our friendship if I'm really just _stuck_ with you.”

She just has to fuck everything up, doesn't she? “God, I didn't mean it like that, T.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Trini shakes her head, failing to look like this isn't bothering her.

They fall into silence after that, but it's the awkward kind that neither of them are a big fan of. That’s been happening a lot more often lately. They’ll all be hanging out, having fun, and then suddenly it’s just _tense_. Because they have problems that they refuse to talk about or deal with. Most of them do, anyway. Those band practices are supposed to be a way to relieve stress in a way that isn’t related to being a ranger, but it hasn’t gotten there yet. Training in the pit is mostly fine, but sometimes punching stuff only gets them more worked up. Their bonfires? Those are mostly for fun, but it’d be rare for them to get through a night without some kind of serious conversation happening.

They really need to work on how they balance everything in their lives.

Kimberly, especially, is starting to realize that pushing people away is what Trini’s been doing. But now she’s talking to them, even if it’s just a little. So Kim should probably _try_ to do the same thing, because she’s already pushed so many people away, and with them it’s gone so far past any hope of repair. She doesn’t want the same to happen with the other rangers. Sure, they’re stuck with her. But she’d rather things stay how Trini says they are--she wants them to _want_ her there.

“I never apologized.” It’s kind of out of nowhere, and she probably could’ve led up to it better, but it’s something and it’s out there.

“What?”

“I never apologized to Amanda.”

Realization seems to cover Trini’s face, but there’s still some traces of confusion. “Do you _want_ to?”

That isn’t exactly the reaction she was expecting. “In the sense that I want her to know I’m sorry, yeah. I regret it, obviously, but it doesn’t mean anything if _she_ doesn’t know that. Actually _telling_ her might be a little more difficult.”

“Do you think it’d change anything?”

“I… I don’t know. That doesn’t really matter. I’m the last thing from innocent in this, and… I never _admitted_ that it was me. Not to anyone but you guys. And she doesn’t think I’m sorry, so I have to do something about that. She deserves an apology.”

Trini nods slowly, thinking it over. “Yeah…”

And you know what? As long as she’s being _honest_ , there’s been some other stuff in the back of her mind lately that she should probably get out. So, after another good stretch of silence, she adds, “Also, during the Goldar attack, I kind of… let a putty arm--or limb or something--fall onto her car.”

Oh, yeah, that definitely gets her attention. “ _What?_ ”

“I’m not sure there’s much I could’ve done to stop it; it wasn’t on _purpose_ . I just… Okay, I _might’ve_ made a comment about how they deserved it, but…”

“ _Kim._ ”

“They were _fine_ , though.”

“What do you mean, _they were fine?_ Are you saying _she was in the car?_ ”

Kim opens her mouth to respond, but pauses. “Yes.”

Trini only raises her eyebrows, slightly shocked.

“And Harper was with her, _but_ …” she says. “There is no but. It was petty and kind of terrible; I know.”

“Jesus Christ, Kim.”

It sounds way worse out loud than it did in her head. But she was flying around Angel Grove in an alien pterodactyl ship thing, so she [kind of literally] felt on top of the world. And she _didn’t_ have control over where the debris landed. She was spinning mid air, covered in animated rock monsters, just trying to get them off so she could get back to the fight. “The ‘ _I’m a flying superhero, fuck all y’all’_ was a little blinding in that moment.”

Trini shakes her head, laughing a bit. “Uh, yeah. No shit.”

Okay, cool. That went better than expected.

“What about Ty?”

Maybe she spoke too soon. “What? You think I should apologize to him, too?”

“No, I think he’s a dick that isn’t getting any blame for something he contributed to. He’s just as responsible in this. You only sent that picture to him--which, I’m not saying it wasn’t terrible, because it _was_ \--but he made it worse by sending it to more people.”

Oh. Yeah, that’s probably one of the bigger downsides to this whole situation. “There’s nothing else to do about that. The biggest consequence he got was me punching his tooth out. And I didn’t even do that because he forwarded the picture. I was still just trying to keep the blame off of me.”

“Bad motive. Morally grey actions.”

“ _Morally grey_ ,” Kim repeats.

Trini rolls her eyes. “If you ask me, he deserved it. If you ask Zordon, it’d be, _‘You shouldn’t have done that. There are other ways to handle conflict.’_ So it’s morally grey.”

She’s really just lucky that she hadn’t been a ranger when she punched him. Not only would that be violating the personal gain and escalation of a fight rules, but with her strength, it would’ve been  _way_ worse than just him losing a tooth. She doesn’t want to think about what could’ve happened instead.

“We aren’t done here, Hart,” Trini adds. “You aren’t that smooth; I know you were trying to distract me.”

“Yeah, and it almost worked.”

“You get a pass for today, but I’m not going to forget about this.”

At least that gives her more time to emotionally prepare herself.

 

\---

 

“Jason canceled training.”

Kimberly smiles, shaking her head. “Of course he did. Billy made one comment saying _maybe_ it would be a good idea to cancel, and Jason wonders why he ever wanted to hold a training session in the first place.”

“Is it weird that I totally thought Zack was into Jason?”

“No. I don’t know _what’s_ going on with any of them. The only thing I’m sure of is that Jason would do literally anything for Billy, and I don’t even think he’s self-aware. Our boys are clueless.”

It isn’t just the boys. They’re all pretty clueless.


	7. Those Dinosaurs Are My Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Movie Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is kind of haphazardly thrown together, but the next one is [hopefully] gonna make more sense plot-wise

**Ranger Danger**

**[z | billyc | goldenboi | princess.hart | tiredandgay]**

**goldenboi:** Honestly, I’m surprised we’ve managed to make something cohesive that kind of resembles a song

 **princess.hart:** ^^ I thought this whole band idea was going to disappear after a couple of days

 **princess.hart:** I guess it’s been kind of fun

 **z:** but sadly… we will never reach our full potential

 **z:** i believe if we weren’t superheroes, we’d make it big

 **z:** imagine… up on stage… the crowd screaming my name bc i’m the heartthrob of the group… they love us… and we’re famous w/ out having to hide our faces behind masks

 **tiredandgay:** you’re the heartthrob? ...ok

 **z:** wELL then, who do u think it’d be??

 **tiredandgay:** fan favorite?? um, Billy. Obviously??

 **z:** ...touche...

 **billyc:** Really?

 **tiredandgay:** of course, b. If i weren’t gay, you’d be my first choice, dude

 **billyc:** Cool! Thanks, Trini.

 **goldenboi:** Yeah, I have to agree

 **princess.hart:** Same

 **billyc:** I mean, I’m sure you’re great, too, in a romantic sense. ‘Cause I don’t feel that way, but if I did I could see you being the “heartthrob”, too. All of us are great.

 **tiredandgay:** ok, but if we’re talking about who girls are throwing their bras onstage at? Since Billy would hop on Twitter and explain that he doesn’t need them, so they’d change their target

 **z:** ah, yes. me. ur so right, t

 **tiredandgay:** no.

 **tiredandgay:** it would be Kimberly

 **goldenboi:** Whoa, plot twist

 **tiredandgay:** do i rlly need to give an explanation?

 **tiredandgay:** like, seriously, do u think i’m wrong?

 **z:** ...no

 **z:** ur right…

 **princess.hart:** Oh

 **princess.hart:** Damn, guys. I wasn’t expecting that.

 **z:** ur hot and u know it, lbr

 **z:** u radiate it

 **goldenboi:** Everyone knows, tbh

 **princess.hart:** Wait a minute. Trini’s the broody mysterious one; ppl love that kind of thing

 **tiredandgay:** fair point… my keyboard would be a convenient place to hang the bras…

 **z:** wait, i’m mysterious too

 **billyc:** Jason was a football player. I used to overhear people calling him a heartthrob a while ago before he stole that bull, so he fits that title, too

 **princess.hart:** True...

 **goldenboi:** Aw, thnx

 **z:** …

 **tiredandgay:** so our consensus is that we’re all hot

 **princess.hart:** Absolutely

 **z:** “all”

 **goldenboi:** That includes you too, Z

 **goldenboi:** You’re hot and mysterious

 **goldenboi:** Just like the rest of us

 **z:** T H A N K  Y O U

 **z:** someone finally acknowledges it

 **princess.hart:** Ok, so: Billy’s right, and we’re ALL the heartthrob

 **billyc:** Yeah!

 

 **z:** hey, so it’s Friday

 **tiredandgay:** i’m so proud of u for finally learning the days of the week

 **z:** wow

 **z:** no, i think we should have another movie night

 **z:** it’ll be fun and we could all rlly use a break

 **tiredandgay:** i second that

 **goldenboi:** Ok, sure. Who’s hosting?

 **princess.hart:** Not me

 **billyc:** I can’t do it tonight. I can stay somewhere else, but my mom needs a break from having people over so often.

 **goldenboi:** Alright. Guess it’s me, then.

 **z:** we love ur sister, J. she has the BEST commentary

 **goldenboi:** Yeah yeah

 **goldenboi:** But that means no R-rated or scary movies

 **tiredandgay:** good

 **tiredandgay:** not to be a total loser, but if we’re trying to relax, an intense movie is the last thing we need tonight

 **billyc:** I think so, too

 **z:** no prob, guys, i feel u

 **z:** SO, does this mean training is canceled??

 **goldenboi:** Um, no. We’ve skipped every day this week except yesterday, and we’re skipping tomorrow, too. Not today. It’ll only take an hour and a half

 **tiredandgay:** would it really make a difference?

 **goldenboi:** Yes

 **princess.hart:** Ugh.

 **z:** ^^

 **goldenboi:** Listen, if it weren’t me making you guys do this, it’d be Zordon. And he wouldn’t be as nice about it

 **billyc:** It’s ok, Jason. I get it. We have been slacking this week, and we need to stay on top of training

 **princess.hart:** I mean. I know you’re right, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy abt it

 

\---

 

Skipping training is kind of like skipping school. They really should go--kind of _need_ to go. But as soon as they miss one day, it gets harder and harder to actually _go back._ Three of them skipped school on Monday entirely, and Kimberly and Trini only went for a half day Tuesday. Going back on Wednesday wasn’t terrible, but it was annoying. And training? Even though Kimberly went yesterday, it is surprisingly much more difficult to make herself get there today.

She makes it all the way to the base of the ship before sitting on one of the nearby rocks, hoping to psych herself up a bit before running in to join the others.

“You having trouble?” Trini asks, walking towards the ship and making Kim jump a bit. “Is there an invisible forcefield blocking the entrance, or are you trying to piss Jason off by _coming to training_ without actually training?”

“I thought I was the last one here,” she says instead of giving an answer.

Trini shrugs, stopping before the steps. “You live right around the corner. I don’t think you’d be the last one here unless you were trying to wait us out on purpose.”

She did seriously consider skipping it altogether, and pulling the _“I lost track of time”_ excuse. But they’re going over to Jason’s afterwards, so she wouldn’t be able to escape some sort of concern-filled scolding. From any of them--not just Jason.

“And… that’s exactly what you were doing, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Kimberly nods. “I don’t even know why. I guess things have just been so crazy lately… I’m ready to jump right into movie night.”

“No, I get that. But it won’t take long. I’m pretty sure Jason’s gonna cut it short anyway.”

Trini nods towards the steps, and, after Kimberly reluctantly pushes herself off the rock, they both make their way inside and to the pit. Kimberly spends the short duration of the walk wondering how long she would’ve been sitting there if she _had_ been the last one to arrive. She probably would've spaced out until her phone rang or someone wandered out to find her.

“Great. You’re both here,” Jason says once they’ve joined him and the other two. “Billy brought up asking Zordon about the details of our… ranger connection. What do you guys think?”

Trini shrugs. “I don’t care. If you want to, go ahead.”

That was a lie. She does care.

“Oh, um… Okay. I mean, Billy said _you_ were talking to him about it the other day, but I guess--”

“Yo!” Zack almost shouts at them as he runs up to throw an arm around Trini’s shoulders. “You’re really short, you know that? Come talk to me while they get advice from Wall Dad.”

Trini barely has time to question him before he’s pulling her off to the side. She assumes the others will fill them in on anything Zordon has to say, but she still kind of wanted to _be there_. And it's still taking her a second to process what's going on--she wasn't even there for a full minute before she got pulled into a conversation.

“What is it?”

Zack looks up, waiting for the others to be out of sight before turning back to Trini. “So, it's movie night. Right?”

“Uh… yeah?” She says carefully, unsure where he's going with this.

“And movie nights are a _prime_ opportunity for romance…”

In Jason’s _living room_ ? Trini’s been in his house before, and sure it's _really red_ \--embarrassingly so--and that's a romantic color, or whatever, but she's never thought to herself, _“Wow, this place would be perfect if I ever wanted to make a move on someone.”_ Yeah, that's a hard no. “For _who_?”

“Any of us.” He shrugs, smiling. “ _Go go poly rangers…?_ You and Kim, Jason and Billy, _me_ and Jason, me and Billy, Kim and… I'm gonna stop there ‘cause I don't want you to punch me, but you catch my drift, right?”

She understands _who_ he's talking about. Sort of. It's hard to tell how much of that he was serious about. But she still shakes her head. “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“I'm talking about _counting shoulders_.”

She stares at him, hoping she'll begin to understand him through some sort of ranger telepathy. It doesn't work. “Are you high right now? Am _I_ high? Is this some alien version of _Punk’d_?”

“No, listen to me.”

Is that not exactly what she had been doing?

“It's the perfect moment for some subtle moves. An arm around the shoulder. Casual leaning on each other. Sharing the bowl of popcorn when--oops--two hands brush together. The _spark_ that you both ignore, but it makes you feel all warm inside, and you start to convince yourself that _maybe_ it isn't only in your head. Dumb conversations that pop up at three in the morning, and then we all fall asleep on each other. Tell me that doesn't sound magical.”

She narrows her eyes, trying to think it over. Then she shakes her head. “No, I'm definitely high. I don't know _how_ , but that's the only explanation that makes any sense.”

“Seriously, T? You didn't get _any_ of that?”

“No.”

Zack sighs. “Whatever. You'll figure it out tonight. Hopefully.”

Trini’s starting to wonder if she's really just _that_ behind on sleep, because she still had _no clue_ what Zack’s talking about. If her focus is that screwed up, maybe it isn't a good idea for her to be training at all today.

 

\---

 

“What movie are we watching?” Billy asks, pulling up Netflix on Jason's TV. He begins to scroll through the categories while the others throw some blankets and pillows on the floor.

“Whatever you guys want,” Jason calls out from the kitchen. Then he adds, “Within reason.”

They still haven't decided on anything by the time he joins them, now holding two large bowls of popcorn. Billy decides to call out the names of the categories so they can narrow their search down a bit.

 

Sports movies? _"_ _Sorry, Jace, but unless it's_ Bring it On, _I gotta vote no."_

Faith and Spirituality? _"_ _That's a category? No way. Pass."_

Documentaries? _"_ _Too boring."_

_"Are you sure? I think they can be interesting sometimes."_

_"...We’ll come back to it."_

Romance? _"_ _Ugh. No. Listen, if I have to sit here and watch two straight white people fall in love while my gay ass is stuck here and single, I'm gonna fight someone."_

Gay and Lesbian? _"No._

_What? Don't look at me like that. Even if some of those movies aren't terrible, I don't want to watch a gay couple get together while I'm single, either."_

Drama?  _"How dramatic, though? Like is it serious dramatic, or funny dramatic?"_

Comedies? _"I just saw the cover for that food movie, and I'm already scarred. We need something cleansing and wholesome."_

Children and Family? _"_ _That's what I'm talking about!"_

_"I don't know why I'm even vetoing these. I'm gonna pass out before we pick anything."_

_"Zack’s already halfway through a whole bowl of popcorn. What the hell?"_

_"Try and stop me, Hart. I dare you."_

 

They argue for another fifteen minutes, and then Pearl sneaks in to grab the remote while they aren't paying attention. She selects the movie that the screen is stalled over just because she’s tired of listening to them go back and forth. It was paused over _The Land Before Time_.

“Wait, what?” Trini stares at the screen while the opening credits play.

“No, this is good,” Zack says, holding a hand up. “I can chill with this.”

Pearl jumps onto the couch in the open spot next to Jason--the others are on the floor, backs up against the bottom of the couch--and he thanks her. She nods. “You were taking _forever_.”

“Okay, _drama queen_.”

Zack finishes the entire other half of his bowl of popcorn before the movie’s even halfway over. Then he reaches over Trini to the second bowl in Kim’s lap and begins to eat from that too. It takes Kimberly a couple of minutes before she notices.

“Dude. No.”

“Sharing is caring, Kimberly,” he says, not taking his eyes off the screen.

“Exactly, and you didn’t _share_ any of yours.”

Billy shakes his head. “He was sharing with me, Kim. I didn’t eat much, but he did offer.”

Jason nudges Zack with his foot. “There’s more in the kitchen. Just go make another bowl.”

“I think I will,” he says, pushing himself off of the ground. “I thought we were friends, Kim. I won’t forget this.”

Kim rolls her eyes as he walks away, and then turns to Trini because she’s been oddly quiet over the past few minutes. And then she sees why. “Whoa. Trini. Are you crying?”

Trini looks away from the TV, wiping her eyes with her sleeve and shakes her head. “What? No. Shut up.”

“T--”

“It’s a sad movie. Leave me alone.”

Kimberly smiles and leans into Trini’s side, but doesn’t say anything more.

As Zack gets back and the movie progresses, Trini isn’t the only one that sheds a few tears. When all of the little dinosaurs cuddle up and fall asleep on top of each other, Zack is close to breaking down from cuteness.

“That is _so_ us…”

With twenty minutes left in the movie, everyone but Zack falls asleep. He still makes a few occasional comments to himself, whisper-screaming at the TV, because _no, they’re fighting. They’re split up. Now they’re in tar! How are they alive?! THEY SAVED HER OH MY GOD YES! Oh no… Suck it up Cera, we’re all wrong sometimes; it’s okay. Jason’s zord always gotta mess stuff up for these little guys… Don’t use her as bait, she’s tiny! HE’S FLYING! KIM IT’S YOU! Oh my god… that’s so_ us _._

Trini wakes up sometime after it’s over and while Zack is halfway through _The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure_. She stares at the television, and almost doesn’t process that it’s a different movie. [They look the same; it’s all just dinosaurs. But the sequel isn’t as grainy because it was made six years later.]

“Seriously, dude?”

“This is a wonderful series and you’re missing out. These dinosaurs? They're all my children,” he says. “I mean, the egg song? Almost as iconic as my taco song.”

Kimberly wakes up around one to the sound of Trini and Zack having a casual conversation like it _isn’t_ the middle of the night. She’d have gone back to sleep if the subject hadn’t caught her attention.

“Do you speak Spanish?”

“In general, or actively?”

“Yeah.”

Trini shrugs. “Sometimes.”

“Why don’t you ever speak it around us?”

“I don’t know, why don’t you speak Mandarin around us?”

“Okay, fair point,” Zack says. Then he leans forward, looking to Trini’s other side. “Kim, you’re awake. What about you? You aren’t speaking Hindi, or… you said your mom was Gujarati, right?”

She’s still half asleep. “Uh… No, yeah. We don’t really speak it around the house. I don’t know much.”

There’s a pause before Trini says, “My mom slips into Spanish if she’s really pissed. And my dad’ll do the same to argue back if it’s bad.”

“So you hear it often, then?” Zack asks.

“Shut up. But… yeah.” She shrugs. “It wasn’t fun when my brothers started looking up swear words so they could insult other kids at school without them knowing.”

“Oh my god. That’s hilarious.”

“What are you guys _talking about_ at _one in the morning_ ?” Jason asks from the couch, and he wants to tell them to _go to sleep_ more than he wants an answer.

Zack glances up at him. “What about you, white boy? What was your foreign language credit for?”

“Uh…”

“Wait.” Trini sits up, turning around to look at him, too. “Please tell me you aren’t about to say you took Spanish because you’re a jock and you heard it was easy.”

If he stays quiet long enough, maybe they'll give up and assume he went back to sleep.

Or maybe not.

“How long before you realized you’d actually need to try?”

He shrugs. “When I walked into class on the second day and the teacher didn’t speak English for the entire rest of the course.”

“Nice.”

“Yeah. Can you guys go to sleep now? If you don’t, you’re gonna sleep through detention.”

Zack gives him a thumbs up. “Sure thing, Boss Man. Energy is a Ranger’s best friend.”

 

\---

 

Trini wakes up again at three, but she’s really comfortable so she’s ready to just fall back to sleep. Until she pauses because the person she’s cuddling with right now is _not Kim_ . She opens her eyes. It’s Zack. Her initial reaction is to jump up, roll over and actually find Kimberly, but she _is_ comfy, and Zack isn’t all that bad to be cuddling with. As long as she wakes up before he can tease her about it, she’ll be good.

They all wake up a few hours later to the sound of _The Land Before Time XIV: Journey of the Brave_ playing in the background while Billy rattles off a bunch of dinosaur facts to Pearl. They’re both sitting cross legged with bowls of cereal in their hands, in front of the TV and at Zack, Trini, and Kimberly’s feet.

“Like the Pink Ranger flies?”

Billy nods. “Yeah, it’s a Pterodactyl Zord.”

“The Pink Ranger is my favorite, but don’t tell Jason. He really likes Red,” Pearl says, and then whispers, “We still have a picture of him on the fridge.”

Billy says, “I like Red, too,” before jumping into some T Rex facts.

Trini looks back to see Jason staring at the two in awe. It’s painfully obvious how smitten he is. [To everyone  _except_ Jason and Billy.]

“Aw, I’m her favorite,” Kim says, keeping her voice low.

“Yo, Pearl. Pink is Trini’s favorite, too!” Zack semi-shouts, and Trini immediately punches him in the arm. “ _Ow_ . Am I _wrong_?”

She doesn’t have a good answer for that. Not with Kim sitting  _right next to her_ , and waiting for a response. Because if she says yes, then  _wow make her crush a little more obvious why don't you_ _?_ But if she says no, what if Kim's offended? Or she assumes that Trini doesn't like her at all, and any tiny chance she might have had with her would be gone. Those aren't risks she's currently willing to take.

“What about you, Z?” Kimberly asks. “Who’s your favorite?”

He shrugs. “I can’t pick. I feel a connection to Black, but they’re all so beautiful.”

“Uh… J?” Trini says, waiting for him to lean down so they can continue speaking quietly. “Did she just say you have a picture of _yourself_ as a Ranger on your fridge?”

Jason leans back, shrugging and trying to play off the tinge of embarrassment he feels. “My dad put it there… The Red Ranger saved his life…”

“Mhm…”

He turns away, stepping over them to get to the other side of the room. “We need to get up or we’ll be late for detention. Come on.”

 

\---

 

They eat at Jason’s so they don’t stop for doughnuts on the way to the school. It’s mildly disappointing for Trini because she’s eaten and she isn’t hungry anymore, but it doesn’t leave her with much left to do aside from throw some notes around. But for the first ten minutes, no one throws her anything. She’s about to give in and flip through that _Better Choices_ workbook that they all have, but as soon as her hand touches the cover, someone finally throws a note her way. The writing is in pink.

_“You look relaxed. Was Zack comfier than me or something?”_

As far as Trini remembers, she fell asleep with Kimberly leaning on her--almost on top of her--so however she managed to end up in Zack’s space, it wasn’t by choice. Kim had to have moved or gotten up at some point and left Trini without a cuddle buddy.

_“Hardly. But he was a good substitute. You know. Since you fucking abandoned me.”_

Kimberly stares at the note, shaking her head before she replies.

_“I did not. I got up for a drink of water, and when I got back you had already rolled over to the closest replacement. I wasn’t even gone for five minutes. Loyalty means nothing to you.”_

She’s actually really offended by that.

_“Um??? Fuck you.”_

_“Classy.”_

_“‘Loyalty means nothing to me’ I’m wearing your sweatshirt, dude.”_

Kimberly turns in her seat to look over Trini.

_“Ok. Good point. But next time we have a group slumber party and I get up in the middle of the night, just wait two minutes before replacing me.”_

_“Sure.”_

The next note that she catches is from Zack. She considers ignoring it for a solid minute, but ends up opening it anyway.

_“Kimberly literally just checked you out. Please tell me you’re acknowledging that.”_

_“Yep. That’s what we were talking about.”_

She has too much fun messing with him. Especially when she hears him low key freak out from his seat, and then continue to send her three consecutive notes because she isn’t immediately responding.

_“EXCUSE ME WHAT?”_

_“TRINI”_

_“I’M GONNA SEND A NOTE TO KIM NEXT IF YOU DON’T RESPOND”_

And she really doesn’t need him saying _anything_ about that to Kimberly, so she responds and hopes it’ll shut him up.

_“I’m kidding, dude. We were talking about her sweatshirt that I’m wearing. Please find some chill”_

_“That’s impossible and you’re terrible. If you had listened to me at training yesterday, and made a few moves last night, you probably_ _would _ _be having that conversation right now”_

She still doesn’t know what “moves” he’s talking about. And she isn’t sure she _wants_ to know. So when she gets another note from Kimberly, she gives up on responding to Zack and opens her note instead.

_“Jason and Billy have been throwing notes back and forth to each other nonstop since detention started. You think one of them is finally making a move?”_

_“I hope so. I don’t know if I can handle any more tension between them when we’re all hanging out again. I think seeing Billy hang out with his sister really made it click for him”_

_“Really?”_

_“Yeah. If the siblings like you, that’s supposed to be a good sign. And Jason’s really close w/ Pearl, so it’s extra important to him. You know?”_

_“Yeah”_

That sticks in Kimberly’s mind all throughout the rest of detention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yes, I did watch the first two Land Before Time movies for the sole purpose of writing this chapter.  
> Also, why would Netflix have the first two, and then skip the next ELEVEN movies, and then throw in the 14th??


	8. Dealing with Difficult Teens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for some general bullying themes  
> And the way I formatted the Twitter stuff makes zero sense, so sorry if it's confusing at all

“We suck,” Kimberly states simply after the audio clip tapers off.

Jason looks up, hands on his hips, and puts on his best _determined_ face. If they're putting in work--he'd use the term _work_ very loosely in this context--for this _band_ , then they damn well better sound good. It's technically fine if they don't, since it's just them messing around, but half the fun is actually producing something that doesn't… _suck_. “We have character.”

Zack shakes his head and pats Jason on the back a few times. “That's a fancy way of saying we suck. Don't sugar coat it, bro.”

“I still can't believe you _secretly_ recorded us.” Trini backs up from where they're all huddled together, her arms crossed. “Creep.”

“First of all, if we had seriously tried to record this, it never would've gotten done. You'd have been too conscious of getting everything right, and I thought we needed to hear what we _really_ sound like,” Jason says. “Second, Billy helped me hook this up. So I didn't act alone, and it wasn't a total secret.”

“I figured. Doesn’t mean it’s any less creepy.”

There’s no way Jason is going to win in an argument with Trini, so he’s going to stop there. In all honesty, he knows they kind of suck. But they aren’t terrible. Trini was right about them all being good on their own, but clashing when they tried to put it together. That can be easily fixed, though. Right?

He’s starting to get tired of this “band” thing altogether, but Zack is still _really_ enthusiastic about it and Billy loves getting to play the drums again and it isn't often that they see Trini and Kimberly smile like this and look so relaxed and _happy_. He doesn't have the heart to break it up just yet.

“Oh, hey. Speaking of secrets,” Billy says, and suddenly they're all paying attention again. “Have y’all seen Zack's Power Rangers Twitter page?”

“His _what_?” Jason asks. He’s stuck between shock and anger, turning to find Zack.

Trini’s shocked, too, but she’s also trying to decide if she needs to be _amused_ or _upset_ that this is a thing. “Dude… What?”

Zack takes a large step backwards, laughing nervously and holding his hands up in defense. “We need to talk to our town, guys. What’s the harm in it?”

Kimberly already has her phone out, pulling up Twitter. “What’s the handle?”

Zack looks at the others--who are slowly pulling out their phones as well--and then says, “At power rangers. P-W-R-R-A-N-G-E-R-S.”

“Really?” Trini glances up. “Was the full spelling taken already?”

“Yeah… We have a fanclub.”

Kimberly looks up this time. “We do _not_. Are you serious?”

He motions to her phone as if it can answer for him.

“Why not _the_ power rangers?”

Zack puts his hands on his hips. “Because… I didn’t think about trying that. It’s fine; we can still change it.”

“How do they know what we’re called?” Billy asks. “Because only us and Zordon and Alpha 5 know that we’re the _Power Rangers_ . And Rita, but she’s gone. And if _we_ told someone, that’d be breaking a ranger rule. Right? Or… if it's just the name, and we aren't showing ourselves as civilians maybe that's okay… Is it?”

Jason looks straight at Zack, staring him down. “Maybe.”

“Oh, uh… I don’t know… I heard a bunch of news stations got tons of anonymous messages naming the masked vigilantes, so… Maybe Alpha malfunctioned, or…” He shrugs. “Maybe they just _knew_ , ya know? Like… It’s a thing…”

“You should probably stop talking,” Trini says, but her focus is back to her phone.

“You should.” Jason nods. “We’re gonna talk in a minute, but… I need to look through this first.”

 

**Power Rangers**

**@PwrRangers**

Instagram: @realpwrrngrs

Run by the Black Ranger

(Don't tell the others)

**Angel Grove, CA**

 

**Ya Boy #16 @bballtiger16**

Uh, didn't u guys destroy half the town? @PwrRangers

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @bballtiger16_

technically, yes. But we also SAVED the town. The giant gold thing was doing most of the damage

 

**Power Rangers (Fans) @powerrangers**

Can u tell us about everyone's personalities? -E @PwrRangers

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @powerrangers_

Hells yeah. Black is the hottest… badass

 **Art Ho™** **@EmFromArt7**

@PwrRangers we know you're talking abt urself…

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

@EmFromArt7 I ain't hiding it friend, I know

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

@PwrRangers @powerrangers Blue is the chillest. My buddy

@PwrRangers @powerrangers Red is… responsible? He ain't that bad. The Dad friend

@PwrRangers @powerrangers Pink is smooth as hell… she could kick ur ass and you'd thank her for it

@PwrRangers @powerrangers Yellow is small but feisty. She could prob kill u w one glare. My bro

**Dat Boi @eric420**

@PwrRangers yellow’s a chick?

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

@eric420 I mean our armor kinda gives it away… but yeah

 

**Tommy O. @toliver**

@PwrRangers r any of u hooking up or dating?

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @toliver_

lmao… “not yet” but I may need to update that in a couple of weeks

**Art Ho™ @EmFromArt7**

@PwrRangers ooh, drama?

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

@EmFromArt7 Not really. The ppl who r into e/o are def into e/o, they’re just too dumb to admit it

 

**Black Ranger @pugs88**

I ship Bees

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @pugs88_

waittt. Listen i love u bc i’m ur name, but me and yellow?? She’s my bro, dude. Trust me, i’m not her type

 

**Power Rangers (Fans) @powerrangers**

@PwrRangers Red/Pink?? -L

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @powerrangers_

y’all are wild… assuming we’re all straight… that’s funny

**Ya Boy #16 @bballtiger16**

Oh shit, they’re gay

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @bballtiger16_

Ya pretty much. Just one of us is gay, but none of us are straight, honey

**Tommy O. @toliver**

Suddenly I stan the Power Rangers?

 

**Black Ranger @pugs88**

@PwrRangers previous statement rescinded. I now ship Purple

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @pugs88_

Bitch me too, the fuck??

I’m kidding

Am I?

 

**Pizza Pls @bipride_wonthide**

@PwrRangers I ship them all w/ e/o is that allowed??

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @bipride_wonthide_

Technically it’s allowed, but one of us is gay, so u’d need to alter it beyond every1 w/ every1. But I see where ur coming from buddy

**Black Ranger @pugs88**

It’s yellow, guys. He said he isn’t her type--lbr

**Pizza Pls @bipride_wonthide**

Okay, so I ship black/blue/red and pink/yellow. That cool??

**Tommy O. @toliver**

Or red/black/blue/pink, pink/yellow

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

Hells yeah!!!

 

**Power Rangers (Fans) @powerrangers**

@PwrRangers Are you going to keep us updated?

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @powerrangers_

For sure, you’re my buds now. As long as I get permission from the others, tho

 

**Pizza Pls @bipride_wonthide**

@PwrRangers b4 u leave, what do u identify as?? If u don’t mind saying?

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @birpride_wonthide_

Lol, ya. Pan/Grey ace

**Art Ho™ @EmFromArt7**

Um, bless up

 

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

Maybe i’ll get the others to post some insta pics w/ their flags or smth

**Pizza Pls @bipride_wonthide**

_Replying to @PwrRangers_

Bless u black

Wait are u black?

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

my suit, yes. race, no. blue is black

**Pizza Pls @bripride_wonthide**

Wait what

 

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

We’ll get to the race/ethnicity thing later, y’all. I gtg

**Power Rangers (Fans) @powerrangers**

_Replying to @PwrRangers_

I must be dreaming if we’ve been blessed w/ diverse superheroes -E

 

“Well, it could be worse,” Kimberly says, lowering her phone. “It isn’t that bad.”

Jason, however, doesn’t agree with her. “ _Zack_. If we tell them the _race/ethnicity_ thing, how much more obvious could it get? It's like putting a sign over our heads that says,  _hey we're the Power Rangers!_ Angel Grove isn't that big; we can't get specific.”

“What? They love us.” Zack smiles. "And we can be vague."

“It’s risky.”

“I’ve been careful, bro. Chill out.”

“I can secure the account, Jason,” Billy says, standing and walking closer to the others. “As long as we’re careful, I don’t see why we shouldn’t keep the account active. It might be a good idea to communicate with the public like this.”

Trini throws a hand up to get their attention, but she’s still looking at her phone. “So how much hate are we getting? ‘Cause you don’t have any on this page, but there’s no way we don’t have a bunch that you haven’t acknowledged. Especially now, since you’ve told everyone how gay we are.”

“Um…” Zack trails off. “Just don’t search our name. Only one of us should have to see it; I’ll be the filter.”

“That’s not reassuring.”

“ _Bees_ is kind of hilarious, though,” Kimberly says.

“The name of the ship or the thought of the relationship?”

“Yes.”

Zack nods at that, also smiling.

“Wait, you described me as _responsible?_ ” Jason asks, his eyebrows drawn together. “The rest of you got _chill, feisty, smooth,_ and _badass_. Come on, dude.”

“I said you were the dad friend. Some people are into that.”

“You know we love you, Jason,” Kim adds.

Billy lowers his voice a bit before saying, “We can hijack the account later.”

Jason calms down a bit at that. They’re probably right and he’s just being the _responsible_ one again, _overreacting_ . But _still_ . It doesn’t sound like a good idea; it’ll only take _one_ small screw up to ruin everything. He just doesn’t like it.

“How the hell did you even get this picture of us fighting over a water bottle without us noticing?” Trini asks from across the room.

“Ooh!” Zack jumps up to join Trini and looks over her shoulder. “You found the Insta. I’m seriously proud of some of these. Scroll back up real quick…”

Right. They have to monitor _that_ account, too. Wonderful.

 

\---

 

While Billy and Jason sit off to the side and look through the Twitter account from Billy’s laptop, the other three are messing around with some snacks that had earlier been brought down. Kimberly sits on the one surface in Billy’s room that doesn’t have anything on it--a clothes dresser--with a bag of mini marshmallows in her hands, and Trini and Zack are both on the ground in front of her, lying flat on their backs. At one point Zack pats the ground to get Kim’s attention and says, “Pour some sugar on me, Hart!”

She grabs a marshmallow but pauses before throwing it. “I’ll give this to you, but _please_ never say that again.”

“Deal.” He smiles, opening his mouth to catch the marshmallow when she finally does throw it.

When Trini tells Zack that she’d totally catch more than he ever could, it accidentally turns into a game. They go back and forth for several minutes and Trini _does_ catch way more than him, but he’s starting to realize that having Kim as the designated marshmallow thrower was never going to work in his favor. They’re halfway through the bag when he gives up.

“This was _rigged_.”

Kimberly nods, tossing a marshmallow in her own mouth. “Yep. Sure was.”

Zack mocks gasps. “Wow…”

She chooses to ignore him and move on to another more relevant topic. “Trini. So, uh… Are your parents scrambling to make sure you don’t ditch out on church again tomorrow?”

“It’s kind of weird, but they aren’t,” Trini says. “They aren’t making me go at all.”

Zack sits up and turns to look at her. “I don’t know much about your parents, T, but that has _me_ shook. How did you pull that off?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. They kind of made a deal with me. I stay more open to communicating with them, and they let me sleep in on Sundays. It’s supposed to be better for my mental health.”

“Yeah, it totally would be. You need that sleep, girl.”

Trini shrugs, pushing herself to sit up as well. “I guess. I mean… _They_ don’t think it’d be healthy; they’re just doing what some book or online guide is telling them.” She pauses. “My mom’s been looking through some stuff on _dealing with difficult teens_ , and I guessing establishing some sort of trust is supposed to be good or something.”

“You’re saying that like it’s a bad thing,” Kimberly says, but she tries not to let her concern show. It sounds like Trini’s parents are actually trying to help her, and even if they’re doing it for the wrong reasons, it’d still _help_ . More sleep and talking about her problems? That’s exactly what she needs right now. Too be fair, she knows that _talking about her problems_ with her parents is the furthest thing from realistic, but if Trini would be open to communicating with the _Rangers_ , that’s a different story.

“I just know it’s total bull. But I’m not turning away an offer to get out of church every week.”

“At least they’re trying, though. Right?”

Trini doesn’t respond for a good stretch of time, and when she does, it’s just, “Sure. I guess so.”

When she isn’t paying attention Zack and Kimberly share a look. They really hope they’re wrong, but Trini’s beginning to sound like she’s going to start closing herself off again. They might need to be careful with how they talk to her (about the more serious topics) over the next few days.

 

\---

 

Going back to school on Monday is supposed to be as uneventful as it normally is. But Trini and Kimberly have barely even made it to their shared locker when that plan is flipped completely upside down. Amanda and Harper, or whoever they've got backing them, figured out which locker was Trini’s. Saying they've _made their mark_ on it would be putting it lightly. They didn't hold back this time.

Seeing the door covered in words and slurs--way more than what was on _her_ locker. This time they were conscious of using up the entire area--makes Kimberly feel _awful_ . This is exactly what she didn't want to happen. The words themselves _hurt_ , definitely, but she mostly hates that she's put Trini in this position. Half of it is directed at _both_ of them, and Trini doesn't deserve any of it.

Just a few homophobic comments; things that suggest the two of them are clearly together. Trini’s a freak, Kim’s a bitch. The usual.

There are also a few variations telling them to die, and some… doodles that aren't exactly school appropriate.

Trini's pissed more than anything, her grip on her backpack straps strong enough that, if she isn't careful, she could break anything she touches. They could have _at least_ stuck to a theme instead of hodge podging any insult they could think of onto the whole thing. The _gay_ thing. The _being a bitch_ thing. The _hate yourself and die_ thing. There's a lot to choose from, and they decided to choose it all.

“You've gotta be fucking kidding me.”

Kimberly’s attention snaps back to Trini, and she sees the look on her face. Knows what that level of anger means. And when Trini turns on her heels and starts down the hall, Kim is right behind her.

“Trini, don't do anything stupid.”

“No. Your locker was one thing. They messed with it, and I got rid of it. But they're so caught up in this that they had to find out that we're sharing my locker, find _where_ my locker is, and then fuck with that, too. No way.”

Kim tries grabbing her shoulder, her arm, anything to slow her down for a second, but Trini just shrugs her off and keeps moving.

“We aren’t supposed to escalate fights.”

“Fuck that.”

Nothing good is going to come from this. Kimberly doesn't know what to say, but if she could just get Trini to at least _think_ about what she's doing… “You don't even know where you're going.”

“We both know _exactly_ where I'm going, Kim.”

“Don't get yourself in trouble because of me again. It's not worth it.”

Trini shakes her head. “You _are_ worth it. This is fucking ridiculous and it needs to stop.”

Fuck. She can't hold Trini back on her own. If they reach Amanda or anyone associated with her, and things get violent… Having another Ranger there would be preferable. If not to talk Trini down, then to at least keep her from fucking up and hurting someone.

Speaking of, Zack is walking up to them from a perpendicular hallway, matching their pace. He has a vaguely pissed off expression on his face, and Kimberly already knows that now it's just _her_ against _two_ reckless Rangers. Since when is _she_ the level headed one in any situation?

“Why are we angry?” He asks, and Trini quickly fills him in.

At this point she knows she doesn’t have a chance at getting between them and whatever disaster is about to happen. But she isn’t giving up. “Guys… _stop_.”

And they're ignoring her.

“You know where she’s gonna be?” Zack asks, and Trini sort of nods.

When they turn onto the next hallway Kimberly’s close to just running and grabbing an administrator, or finding Jason and Billy on her own, because… they found Amanda. And Harper and a couple other cheerleaders, and Kimberly _knew_ that if they found one of them, they’d find the others. That was their thing. Hanging out by their lockers before class started, acting like they don’t have anywhere to be.

Amanda’s facing them as they walk up, so she notices them over Harper’s shoulder pretty quickly. As soon as she says something, the others follow her gaze and their posture becomes more defensive. “Looks like you’re all having a tough morning.”

Kimberly’s stuck behind Trini and Zack, so she leans forward and tries to say firmly but in a low enough voice, “Come on, guys. Let’s just get to class.”

“Mm… Kimmy finally being smart for once? That’s new.”

Trini doesn’t really pay attention to either of those comments. “Listen, you’ve made your point loud and clear. You can lay off now.”

“Really?” Amanda asks, turning to Trini. “‘Cause I’m not so sure about that.”

Trini takes a step forward, ready to throw down because who needs _reasoning_ when you can just punch stuff to make your point? Kimberly grabs her arm with more force this time so she can’t just shake her off. When Trini turns around to glare at her, Kim pulls her back a bit. She’s taking a gamble with leaving Zack on his own to stare those girls down, but she _hopes_ he’s level headed enough to stay in that position.

Kim lowers her voice again, still holding Trini’s arm to keep her from jumping back. “Trini, look at me. _Please_ don’t do anything stupid. If you hurt them… You have super powers; it’s just-- It’s a bad idea. I’m serious. This is _my_ fault, just let me handle it.”

Trini tries to shake her arm free again, but Kim doesn’t let up until she’s started to regulate her breathing and calm down. “Even if you try to apologize, it isn’t going to change anything. They won’t stop, Kim.”

“Maybe you’re right; but I _have_ to do this.”

Trini’s hesitant, but she knows that Kim’s right. So when she finally pulls her arm free, she moves to the side and mutters, “Fine. Whatever.”

Zack turns around and looks back and forth at everyone before joining Trini.

Seeing Kim step forward makes the girls both uneasy and intrigued. They’re ready to see how this plays out, and whatever happens is going to be _good_ , but she’s still Kimberly Hart and that’s a little terrifying.

“Look. Amanda,” Kimberly says, taking a deep breath. “I know I should have said something before now, and I should’ve owned up to it sooner. But I _am_ sorry about what happened. I don’t expect you to forgive me-- _I_ wouldn’t forgive myself--but… I just wanted you to know that. And… I _only_ sent it to Ty.”

It isn’t like she thinks that makes it any better, but from what she knows, Amanda thought it was Kim who spread it to _everyone_. If she can clarify even a little, she wants to.

Amanda watches her in silence for a moment, crossing her arms, and then saying, “Okay.”

Kimberly nods, stepping back to grab the others, but Trini stops her by saying, “But--”

So she spins around to add, “If you’re going to keep up the locker thing, just don’t drag them into it. This is all on me; it should stay that way.” She continues to pull them away before they get into any trouble.

Before they’re out of earshot, they hear one of the cheerleaders saying, “That was kind of anticlimactic…”

And maybe it was, but that’s exactly what Kim was hoping for.

Zack’s the first of them to speak up. “Wow… I’m proud of you, Kim. That was a little intense. I thought I was about to be in the middle of a brawl.”

“Yeah, well… It had to happen.”

“I’m still pissed,” Trini mumbles.

Kimberly sighs. “I’ll clean your locker. Don’t worry about it.”

“Don’t bother. They’ll just go back over it.” She looks at the ground. “Do you feel better after that?”

“Um… Maybe, like, two percent better?”

Zack claps his hands together and smiles. “That’s better than zero percent, right?”

“Well… yeah.”

 

\---

 

“Hey, T. I, uh…” Kimberly starts. She could’ve planned out what she wanted to say a bit better, but… Whatever. Too late for that. “I know it was hard for you to see that stuff on your locker. I’m sorry that happened.”

Trini shrugs. “Yeah. Whatever.”

She’s been getting that as a response _way_ too often lately. So if she’s a little pissed off at Trini’s lack of a real response, that’s totally not her fault. “You know it’s really annoying when you act like nothing bothers you. Or that you don’t care about anything.”

Trini looks up this time, way more in tune to the conversation. “Excuse me, what?”

“This whole… I don't know. These walls that you put up. You know we have your back--you know we’re literally ride or die with you, and sometimes you let yourself get comfortable around us. But it's like as soon as we look away for a second, or say one wrong word, or are around other people, it's like we haven't been through any of this together. It's like we're still down in the caves for the first time, and you're looking at us like we don't know who you are.”

“Maybe you still don’t.”

Kimberly shakes her head. “You’ve got to be kidding me right now. Don’t do that.”

“Do _what_?”

“What I’ve been talking about. You’re getting defensive again, and you don’t have to do that around us anymore.”

Trini laughs humorlessly. “Right.”

“You _don’t_. What could possibly make you think differently?”

“Every time I hear you guys tell me to talk to you, it makes me want to even less because you sound like my mom. Do you know how many times I’ve heard that from someone who doesn’t _care_ about what I have to say?”

Kimberly sits back, shaking her head again. “ _We_ care. We aren’t your mom, T.”

“I know.”

But that’s all she says. Kimberly had calmed down for a few minutes, but now she’s just annoyed again.

“Oh my _god_. You’re so fucking frustrating.”

“If you’re still trying to get me to talk to you, insulting me _really_ isn’t the way to go.”

“Really?” She asks. “Because nothing else is working; I figured I’d at least give it a try.”

Trini’s close to getting up and leaving. She doesn’t need to sit here and have Kimberly yell at her when she can get the same thing at home. “You don’t have to be a smartass, either.”

“What is happening right now? I’m genuinely confused with this entire conversation. Why are you being so much more closed off than usual?”

Trini doesn’t get to answer--or to deflect instead of answering--because their phones go off. Kim’s ringing, and Trini’s vibrating. They don’t answer immediately, but Trini is the first to move. Once she reads the message, she’s already making her way towards the door.

So much for Kim being careful with what she says to her.

“Jason wants us to go train.”

 _That’s_ annoying too. They aren’t done with this conversation, and now that Trini has an excuse to get away, she’s going to take it. They shouldn’t be leaving things in the middle of an argument; that isn’t going to help anyone.

Kimberly doesn't get to make that choice. She's done all she can think of, and if Trini doesn't  _want_ to talk to her, then she won't.


	9. Nosy Parents and That Stupid Locker

If training was supposed to work as a distraction, Trini’s doing a pretty bad job with her execution. To put it simply, she’s being a tiny ball of angst and going overboard with her level of aggression. Jason’s blocking every punch she throws at him, but even doing that still hurts. His palms are getting sore from having to block so much so quickly, and they're in their _armor_. Hurting each other while they're morphed up like this isn't a common occurrence. When Billy calls out that it's time to switch partners, Jason sighs in relief, “volunteering” to be the next one to sit out, and Zack takes his place. He gets away with ducking and jumping back for a while, but that only makes Trini irritated and impatient. So she gets even more aggressive. Somehow she manages to trip Zack, making him land on his back, and then she lands on top of him, bringing her fist back to punch him in the face. He has his hands up fast enough to stop the hit.

“Dude. _Ow_ ,” he says, waiting for her to back off. When she does, he sits up and shakes his hands out.

Jason was watching the whole thing and is starting to worry about how intensely Trini’s taking this training session. Even the way she's pacing right now is like she's just _on edge_. “Take it easy, Trini. Calm down.”

Trini shakes her head and mutters under her breath, “Fuck off.”

It's low enough that Jason doesn't hear it, but Zack is able to just barely catch it.

“Are you sure you're okay, T?” He asks gently, pushing off of the ground to stand up and talk to her.

She doesn't respond. Just ignores him and starts walking towards the ship, her armor slowly melting away the farther she goes.

As the other three’s attention follows Zack’s, they stare at Trini leaving, stuck being both shocked and confused.

“Um…” Zack’s armor begins to fade away, too, and he scratches his head as he looks at the others. “What was that?”

The other three are armorless just a few seconds later. Jason shakes his head as an answer.

Kimberly hesitates, but then decides to go after her. As she leaves she calls over her shoulder, “I'll try to catch up with her; see what's going on.”

“You know what you're doing?” Zack asks. “Doesn't look like she's in the mood for talking.”

No, it definitely doesn't. She nods even though she has _no_ idea what she's doing. Maybe if she’s careful this time and really tries to put herself in Trini’s shoes, she can make some progress.

Trini’s barely made it into the ship when Kimberly calls out her name to get her attention. She stops, thinking over whether or not she should listen, but by the time she's about to make a decision, Kim’s already reached her.

“Hey, what's going on?” Kimberly asks. “Are the nightmares getting worse? Or is it something else?”

Trini shrugs, but it's over exaggerated. Yeah, talking is the last thing she wants to do right now. “Since you know me so well, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out.”

Kimberly takes a step back, a little surprised. She doesn't know how to handle this. Not without making it worse. “I’m not going to make you talk to me, but if you don’t give me _something_ I won’t know how to help.”

“Maybe I don’t want your help.” She crosses her arms.

“Okay. Fine. I’ll back off, but you almost punched out Jason and Zack earlier. You owe _them_ an explanation or an apology.”

Trini rolls her eyes. “They’re fine.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Alright. You know what?” Trini steps forward, and Kimberly almost steps backwards again as a reflex. But she stands her ground. “It was one thing when I started hanging out with you guys and people just _assumed_ . It was a joke and I ignored it, but then people got serious and I couldn’t deny it. So, it’s _whatever_ , right? Might as well just let it happen. But it’s an entirely different story when I’ve got homophobic slurs covering my locker for the whole school to see.”

Kimberly’s momentarily stunned, but she shakes it off quickly. “You think I don’t _know_ that? That’s _exactly_ what I was trying to talk to you about earlier. Don’t act like I’m just ignoring how shitty it is that you have to deal with that now.  I don’t buy it, Trini. That isn’t everything that’s bothering you.”

“You’re right. That isn’t all of it,” Trini says, and Kimberly’s surprised that she’s still going with this. She was supposed to have already ran out of the ship. “But just think about it. What the fuck else could be going on? _Why_ am I so pissed off?”

“ _I don’t know_. That’s why I’m asking.”

Trini takes a deep breath, but starts speaking again immediately after so she won’t have the chance to let herself back out. “Why do you think I tore your locker door off and got myself thrown into detention with the rest of you? Why are we sharing a locker now? Why have I only opened up to _you_ about my problems? Why are _you_ the person I run to when I fuck up with my parents and bail on them because I can’t handle _talking_ ? I don’t even think about it anymore, Kim. Last week I skipped class because _you_ were having a panic attack. I confronted Amanda and Harper when _your_ phone went off. I took you home and tried talking you through your problems like you’ve done with me. I go to you when I can’t sleep. Last Friday, when I woke up next to Zack… my first thought was, _‘This isn’t Kim. I guess I’ve gotta get up and figure out where she went.’_ You can say it’s because we’re the only two girls on the team; that it makes sense we’d be closer to each other than with the guys, but that’s bullshit… And I know that they went after my locker because you’re using it, too, but it’s _my_ fault that happened. Because it wouldn’t have if I had just left yours alone. I got myself into this mess.”

Kimberly is frozen where she’s standing, too shocked to even form a coherent thought. If she had to sum up what’s happening in her head right now, it’d be a long line of exclamation points and question marks.

“I’ve got parents that yell at me to talk to them, but don’t care about what I have to say when I actually do. I have whatever the hell is happening at school now. I’m a superhero, I can’t sleep, and I don’t know if I’m ever going to get rid of these nightmares. And _you’re_ always on my mind no matter what I do… I'm just so _stupid_ for doing all of these things that I don't have to. I get myself into trouble, I ditch classes that I'm already _this close_ to falling behind in, I do everything but throw myself at you, and you don’t even fucking notice. Of course I’m pissed off. I'm a goddamn idiot.”

“Wait…” Kimberly blinks a few times, but it doesn’t help her process that any faster. “What?”

Trini’s already turning around and walking away. So Kim calls her name out in an effort to stall for a few more seconds, but this time Trini doesn’t stop. She does call out, “ _Don’t_ follow me. Just… Leave me alone.”

Once Trini’s out of sight, Kimberly turns around and takes the few steps back into the Pit area. She’s still confused out of her mind. But Trini does have a point about her being so clueless. She’s pretty sure she’s never actually _thanked_ Trini for all of those things. Tearing her locker down? Yes. But skipping class when she was freaking out? No. Taking the fall when her phone went off in that stall? No. Getting her out of school and taking her home? No again. All of the other times Trini’s had her back? Nope. In her head, yeah, she’s probably thanked Trini a thousand times. But it doesn’t mean anything if she doesn’t say it out loud.

She fucked up. In more than one way.

Before she remembers that she’s no longer in her armor, she’s punching one of the rock formations that’s more or less hugging the wall near the ship entrance. As the pain explodes throughout her hand, she’s drawing her arm back closer to her body and biting down on her tongue to keep from screaming. It doesn’t take her much longer to accept that she’s a fucking idiot who _punched a solid wall of rock_ with her bare hand, all because there’s so much going on in her mind that she didn’t know how to properly process it. Sometimes her impulsiveness isn’t all that bad [ex: cutting her hair], but stuff like _this_ really reminds her how much she needs to learn to _stop_ and think things through.

“Why the _fuck_ did I _do_ that?” Kim mutters to herself, and then tries to take some deep breaths to calm down. Zack’s the first to notice her standing there, and injured, so he jogs up with a confused look on his face.

“Dude, what happened?” He asks, staring at the hand she’s still holding at her stomach. “I thought you had it.”

“Uh…” She’s still wondering what exactly just happened, too. “I think… Trini _might’ve_ just tried to tell me that she likes me, but… she worded it in a really intense way and then stormed off. I’m… not really sure.”

Zack raises his eyebrows and crosses his arms. “Wow, _finally_. What’d you say to make her leave?”

“Nothing. She just kind of shouted her feelings at me and then ran. She’s really upset.”

“Upset about what? You getting her to admit she’s into you?”

Kimberly shakes her head. “I don’t know. On top of everything _else_ that she’s dealing with… She’s either pissed that I’m a dumbass, or pissed that she’s into me in the first place. That, or she _really_ hates me and I’m severely misinterpreting everything.”

Zack stares at her for a moment before shaking his head too. “That is the biggest reach I’ve ever heard.”

“What?”

“Now I see why she’s pissed. Your obliviousness is giving _me_ a headache.”

Kimberly looks down at her hand and then holds it up. “No, I think that might just be _my_ headache from doing this. And I'm not reaching, Zack. I _have_ been a shitty friend.”

Zack pauses to think about that, but he doesn't get a chance to respond.

They hear Billy running up before they see him, and he stops a few feet away from them, looking worried. “Kimberly, what happened to your hand?”

“I’m fine, B. I just punched a wall.”

He isn’t any less concerned after hearing that. “Why would you do that?”

“Kim, what the hell?” Jason calls out as he jogs up to join them. He’s staring at her with wide eyes.

“I’m just really fucking stupid,” she says, and she sounds tired. “Don’t worry about it; I’ll be fine.”

“You’re _bleeding_.”

Before Kimberly can respond again, Alpha 5 is walking in from the main ship area, full of questions about what happened and how she’s feeling and if they can get to the infirmary to patch her up. She’s pretty thankful for the distraction.

“So, uh…” Zack says, shifting his weight back and forth on either foot like he’s ready to take off. “Should I go check on Trini, or do you think she needs some time to cool off?”

Jason shakes his head. “I don’t know. I… I don’t know.”

“Kim just punched the wall.”

“I know.”

“Trini almost punched a me-shaped dent into the ground.”

Jason nods, slowly growing more anxious and overwhelmed. “Yeah.”

“Trini yelled at Kim and then ran away, and we don’t know where she went.”

“Mhmm…”

“I’m pretty sure Kim doesn’t even know what day it is. She’s so confused, I think her mind’s in a whole other universe.”

“Thanks Zack, I got it.” Today is not a good day for his team leading skills. Not only are they all a mess--particularly Trini and Kimberly--but he also has no idea how to go about handling any of it. Why is he in charge? Why not someone else? He doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing.

Billy takes a step forward and proposes his own plan. “Zack, why don’t you go find Trini to make sure she’s okay, and then maybe text her to see if she wants company? We can wait here for Kimberly to get her hand fixed, and then try talking to her.”

It’s simple, but it’s also exactly what they need to do. Thank god for Billy.

“Billy, can I hug you right now?”

“Um.” He glances at Zack for a moment, and then looks back at Jason. “Sure?”

Jason pulls him in for a hug and the contact makes it easier for him to calm down and start thinking straight again. When he pulls away, he nods and smiles. “Thank you.”

“I don’t know what I did, but you’re welcome?”

They can figure this out. Even if it takes a little bit of time.

Hopefully.

 

\---

 

Trini knows that she’s supposed to be heading home, but when she’s in a state like _this_ , that sounds like the worst idea on the planet. So she finds herself up around Zack’s train car in the area they use for their bonfires, contemplating how she royally screwed up. She yelled at Kim, spilled _everything_ without saying what she actually meant, and now there’s no going back. There is the possibility that Kimberly had no idea what she was talking about, but she’s not stupid. It wouldn’t take much for someone to make connections and be pretty damn sure of what it all meant.

She could've worded it better. Been more calm, less aggressive. Used her “inside voice” instead of yelling. It wasn't really yelling; more of a highly emotional raised voice. But it could've gotten worse. She hates aggressive yelling--whether it's coming from her, or directed at, it doesn't matter. But _like mother, like daughter_ has never felt more accurate and terrifying than right now. It isn't a comparison she's all too happy with, but if she isn't careful, it'll be exactly what she turns into.

[They're right about bottling everything up not being good for her.]

And Kimberly never asked her to do any of those things; never _asked_ her to have her back. She shouldn't have made it sound like she was blaming Kim for all of it. At this point, though, she isn't even sure _who_ she's upset with.

“ _Fuck_ …” she draws the word out, closing her eyes. How the hell is she going to fix this?

“I agree.”

She jumps at the noise, but relaxes when she notices that it's only Zack walking up.

“Sorry. Why are we angry?” When he gets close enough, he doesn't sit right next to her. Instead he takes a seat a couple feet away in the open lawn chair.

“I don’t know. I exploded at you, and then Kim, and…” Does she really want to keep talking about this? Does she want to risk screwing things up any more than she already has? Not really. “Nothing. Never mind. I’m gonna go home.”

“Are you sure?”

She nods. “Yeah, I need to… think through some stuff.”

“Alright. Text if you need anything?”

She nods again, absentmindedly, and then gets up from her spot. “Sure.”

As much as she doesn’t _want_ to be home right now, at least there she can lock herself in her room and finally be alone.

 

\---

 

Locking herself in her room doesn’t really go as planned. As soon as she’s through the front door, her parents are waiting and ready to pull her into the living room so they can “talk”. It doesn’t sound like anything good can come of it, but she doesn’t have a choice. The first thing they ask is where she’s been--they’ve been texting and calling her, but she never answered. [Her phone was on silent and she didn’t check it because she was too afraid of what the other Rangers might’ve been trying to say to her.]

“I was with friends. Don’t worry about it.” She’s so tired that she doesn’t realize how bad it sounds until she notices the _parental stare_ that they’re giving her. So she shakes it off and sits up straighter in her seat on the couch. “I was hanging out with my friends. We were just walking around town; my phone battery died. Sorry.”

“Was one of those friends Kimberly Hart?” Her mother asks, and suddenly she doesn’t feel so tired anymore.

_What the actual fuck?_

Is she actually awake right now, or has this entire day been one long nightmare? It makes sense that a lack of so much sleep would make her consciousness and unconsciousness start to bleed together.

She doesn’t talk about her friends to her parents, and if she did, it’d only be by first name. So _this_ is weird. And the fact that it’s Kim that they’re asking about makes it even _worse_. “Um… What?”

“We got a call from the school,” Her father says. “And they asked us if we could come down to discuss some things.”

_What the fuck does that mean?_

“It was about some vandalization to your locker. They wanted you there, too, to see if you had any information on who might’ve done it,” he continues. “They said after the last incident, they’ve been wanting to look more into the problem. Especially after your involvement with the last time, and how that resulted in more damage done to school property. Your principal stressed that he really doesn’t want to order another locker replacement.”

Oh. Yeah, that does make sense.

But it also sucks, because when she explained _how_ she got those detentions, she basically just said, _“One of my friends was being bullied, and people were screwing with her locker. So I took the door off because the school wouldn’t do anything about it. I’m sorry, it won’t happen again, blah blah blah.”_ And they were _upset_ , but it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. They were mostly just happy that she had _friends_ to socialize with, and was standing up for people instead of being the bully. They didn’t know that she _ripped it off the wall_ and _threw it into another classroom_ . And now that they probably know _in detail_ what actually happened…

“We thought you were being bullied,” her mom adds, and she looks pretty worked up--especially considering the conversation. But she doesn't look upset at the thought of Trini potentially being harassed; she looks more... inconvenienced. They’ve gotta be taking this somewhere way worse than whatever Trini’s imagining. “But he said, even though they have a zero tolerance bullying policy, he _wasn’t sure_ who the targets were. Because after you broke _Kimberly Hart’s_ locker, you started to share one, and it’s _likely_ that they're only going after her. Except some of the comments were directed at more than one person.”

As nice as it might’ve been to be there and field some of those questions to give her own side of the story, she’s _so_ glad that she _wasn’t_ there. If they were told what was _written_ on that locker… She wouldn’t have stuck around to see their reactions, that’s for sure.

“He showed us your locker, Trini.”

Oh, shit.

Of course he did. But she would bet that her parents (her mother) _demanded_ to see it.

And, yeah. She knows exactly what that look her mom’s giving her means.

“Is there something you want to tell us?”

No, _absolutely not._

 

\---

 

The last time Trini went through something like this, it was a couple of years ago and because of _Netflix_ , of all things. It wasn't even for a reason that makes sense. She wasn't watching gay shows or movies, and leaving them in plain view on her Continue Watching or Watch History. She knows how to delete that stuff; she's not an idiot.

  
But her parents _are_ nosy. And… they might be a little idiotic if this situation is anything to judge by. They monitor her account. That much isn't a surprise. But _monitoring_ means very specifically scrolling and combing through the entirety of the Netflix page that pops up when they click the icon with her name.

  
Her father was at work when he decided to make one of the periodic look-throughs, and she was at school. So when she got a screenshot and a text from her mother in the middle of study hall, she almost had a panic attack.

  
The screenshot was her father messaging her mother, saying something like, _“I’m worried about Trini. I found some Gay & Lesbian content on her Netflix… Do we need to talk to her?”_ And her mom’s message to her was, _“Can you explain this?!”_

  
Her first thought was wondering how the _hell_ she messed up, and what content he could possibly be talking about. She had just watched _Rent_ , but that was rated PG-13 and not what her father was making it sound like. Using the words _Gay & Lesbian content_ probably gave her mom a heart attack, because that definitely sounds like an X-rated description, and _she wasn't using Netflix for porn, are they insane?_ Apparently, _yes_ , they are.

  
She responded with several question marks and, _“I have no idea what he's talking about.”_

  
But _“the evidence is there, you can't lie to us,”_ and, _“we'll have to discuss this in person when you get home.”_ And Trini felt like her entire world was falling apart. There was nothing she could do to fix it, no explanation, and it wasn't even for something she _did_. It's like someone planted gay stuff on her account, but that didn't make sense because she didn't have any friends at that school yet. Didn't talk to anyone. The only other people it could've been were her brothers, but they didn't have any idea that Trini was gay (or that she was pretty sure she might be), and they might be annoying sometimes, but they wouldn't do _that_.

  
She tried texting back, asking about what he found and if they could tell her something more specific because she didn't know what was going on. But they stopped replying.

  
She gave up on paying attention in her next class because all she could think about was that. Netflix somehow outed her. Like, what the fuck Netflix? That's _so_ not cool? And she was _still_ trying to think of what it could've been. If she could figure it out, maybe she could come up with an explanation before getting home. And if not… All she could think of was them sitting her down and saying, _“We understand that you're confused. But there's a place you can go, and they'll get these thoughts out of your head. You'll be back to normal in no time.”_

  
That almost made her have a panic attack again. Actually it wasn't almost--she had to lock herself in the bathroom for an entire class just so she could keep breathing and stop crying.

  
Her mom responded some time after that, and when she saw the screenshot from her father, she was both angry _and_ relieved.

  
He was literally looking at the _Gay & Lesbian section_. It was the _category_ that exists on any normal Netflix page.

  
Thank _god_ it wasn't something that actually meant anything, but, man, did she feel like an idiot for worrying so much.

  
Everything cooled down after she explained that to them. They apologized for jumping to conclusions and thinking she was lying, but there were a couple of comments that really stuck with her.

“ _Thank goodness, I was worried there for a minute.”_

_  
“We know you're smarter than that.”_

_  
“We're sorry we accused you of something like this.”_

  
It's like they had made her take a drug test and the results came back negative. Except much worse. Because if they had made her take a gay test, they wouldn't have been so happy with the results. They still wouldn't be happy with them now.

  
She's currently terrified and hoping that this isn't some sort of trigger that'll send her into another panic attack. That'd really suck. Especially since this isn't just a misunderstanding, and keeping your cool and standing your ground isn't really possible when you're crying and can't breath. It might be a bit harder to talk her way out of this one.

 

_\---_

 

Kimberly stares at her bandaged hand, closing it into a fist and then opening it back up to spread her fingers out. It still feels sore. She’s pretty sure she can get through the next couple of days without her parents noticing that she’s keeping it wrapped up, but if they somehow _do_ , she has no idea how to explain it. Maybe she’ll just say she fell in the middle of a hike and scratched it up. That could work. It worked for her phone--the same thing could happen to her hand.

Jason and Billy have been sitting in the room with her for the past few minutes, waiting patiently for her to be ready to talk. When Zack walks in to join them, she decides she’s put it off long enough. So she sighs, lets her hand fall back to her side, and looks at the three of them.

“She went home,” Zack says first, crossing his arms over his chest.

They all nod.

That’s one less thing they need to worry about.

“Are you okay, Kim?” Jason asks, and this time he’s gentle about it. He realized that his earlier, _“What the hell, Kim?”_ might’ve been a bit too intense.

She nods. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just a little confused.”

“What exactly happened?”

She tries to fill them in the best she can, but as she repeats it to herself, she only gets _more_ confused.

“So, you need to talk to her,” Jason says.

“Well, yeah. Obviously. I’m just not sure what I need to say.”

Zack shrugs. “It sounds to me like you need to tell her those feelings aren’t one-sided.”

Sure, she _could_ do that. But it felt like the conversation was more than that. There’s some miscommunication going on in their relationship, but she’s pretty sure it goes beyond, _“Hey, I like you, but I’m too afraid to admit my feelings out loud.”_ So she shakes her head and averts her attention to the ground. “I don’t know, Z.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you _still_ don’t think she likes you.”

Kimberly shakes her head again. “It’s not that. She has a lot going on outside of that, you know? I don’t know if that’s what she needs right now.”

“Well, even if you tell her that you feel the same way about each other, that doesn’t mean you have to change anything right away. If you just acknowledge what’s there, it might ease the tension and make things less awkward between you,” Billy says. “You can take your time to figure out how you want to handle your relationship. Jason and I were talking about something similar yester--”

“Exactly,” Jason says quickly, cutting Billy off. “Billy’s right. You just need to talk. As soon as she’s ready to listen, you two can figure things out. As long as you’re on the same page, it should work itself out.”

Okay... That was… odd. Kimberly glances at Zack, and he’s looking at her with a raised eyebrow. So they _both_ noticed that. Weird.

“Yeah, I guess that’s true,” Kim says, nodding slowly. “But how do I know when she’ll be _ready_ to talk?”

“I think she’ll let you know.”

Zack doesn’t seem to agree with that. “T’s stubborn, though. She’ll probably be an ice queen for a couple of days, and then pretend nothing was ever wrong. She won’t _tell you_ , you’ll just know.”

“Why don’t you just ask her to let you know when she’s ready?” Billy asks.

“I can _try_ , but I don’t know if she’ll answer me.” She’s pretty sure Trini will be actively trying to avoid her. Through phone, at school, during training. Everywhere. Maybe she should try to keep her distance, too. This whole thing might blow over quicker that way. Hopefully.

“Well,” Jason says, moving towards the door. “We’ll have to find out tomorrow. Are you going to be good until then?”

She could use the alone time to think this through some more. Not that that’ll really help, but it might. Being alone with her thoughts is always a gamble. “Yeah. I’ll be fine.”

 

\---

 

_Is there something you want to tell us?_

Is this their way of _asking_ Trini to come out to them? Because, first of all, _fuck that_ . And second of all… _What?_ She isn’t sure if she’s more _shocked_ that this is happening, or _terrified_ of what might come of it. Of all the possibilities of her being outed to her family--whether by herself accidentally, or by someone else--she never would’ve thought _her school_ would be what finally sealed her fate.

“Uh… I may have been a little vague about how I got detention…?”

Her parents barely react. They just keep staring at her.

She ducks her head to stare at her feet. _No, there is absolutely nothing she wants to tell them._ “Um…”

“Trini,” her father says calmly. It feels like a trap. “Were these people targeting you? Or is it just your… friend?”

The way he says the word _friend_ doesn’t make her feel any better, either.

“I don’t know. Probably both of us. They’d be going after me because we’re _sharing_ a locker, but…” She doesn’t know how to word that without throwing herself _or_ Kimberly under the bus. So when she trails off, she gives up on finding a way to continue.

“So the things on the locker are… directed at _both_ of you?”

Well, that _is_ kind of exactly what she just said. This is a whole new level of them not listening to her. Because they’re _listening_ , but only for what they _don’t want to hear_. They’re only waiting for her to tell them that she’s gay, and after that she’s pretty sure all hell will break loose. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Is there any truth to them?” Her mother asks.

Seriously? They seriously want to make her _say it_ ? Right, ‘cause if _they_ skirt around it and never actually say the words, they can just ignore it. Of course. “Which part?”

Her father sighs, but her mother is _definitely_ fed up with how avoidant she’s being. Whatever. She’ll just have to deal with it. “Trini, you know what we’re asking you.”

She does.

“Are you…” The difficulty that her mother is having with this question is evident, so she knows she isn’t going to like whatever comes out of her mouth next. “ _Dating_ this girl?”

She almost wants to make a comment about how painful it looked for her to get through that, but she focusses on actually answering the question. Especially now that she can tell the truth and have it be what her parents _want_ to hear. “No.”

She hates how relieved they look.

“Then _why_ would these people write these things about you on that locker?”

“I don’t know,” Trini says, shaking her head. “That’s just… It’s what they do. They’re cheerleaders. When they put a target on someone, they take it seriously. We’re sharing a locker; it isn’t hard for them to come up with something like that if they want to screw with us.”

She can tell before they even say anything that they don’t believe her.

“Trini--”

“You want me to come out to you, right? That's what this whole thing is. I just don't get your thought process behind this. ‘Cause if that's something you're okay with, then maybe consider that if I _wanted_ to tell you something like that, it wouldn't be under these circumstances. And if you aren't okay with it, why would I risk putting myself in that position? I can see how feel about this stuff just by how you’re standing there and staring at me. _Why_ would I tell you something that you obviously aren’t okay with? Stop beating around the bush and get to the point. I'm exhausted and I want to go to bed.”

“These circumstances?” Her mother says, raising her eyebrows. “This isn’t how we would want to find out, either. From those _words_ carved into your locker? You get tangled up with some troubled girl, and suddenly you’re being bullied? And if it _isn’t_ true, then that’s worse.”

 _How could that possibly be worse?_ Jesus Christ, why are straight people like this? “What?”

“Our daughter’s name being tarnished for _no reason_ other than because she’s aligned herself with another social outcast? A girl that’s done something to _put_ a target on her back?” She says. “Yes, that’s _worse_.”

Okay, this is just ridiculous. She’s _way_ too tired to keep dealing with this bullshit. “No. You _know_ it’s more than that. I don’t even know why you’re asking me anymore; you know the answer. You’re always telling me to wear more feminine clothes because I dress like a lesbian.”

She wishes she could say she’s surprised to see them flinch at that word.

“And it isn’t just because you hate the style; it’s because you hate what it means about me. I hang out with guys all the time, and I only have _one_ female friend. I stand up for her because she’s being bullied, and suddenly everyone thinks we’re a thing. To the few people who think I’m dating one of those _guys_ , as soon as I say _no_ and _they're like my brothers_ , that’s it. I don’t have a choice. I was outed at school for no reason, because apparently I’m _so gay_ , all I have to do is walk into a room to set off straight people’s gaydar. This isn't something I was parading around town; I didn't want to tell _anyone_ . I’m sorry if I want to come out to my family on my own time, but I can’t even do _that_ because I have nosy parents and that stupid locker. Actually, you know what? I'm _not_ sorry. You don't get to be upset with me for not telling you about this. This isn't me just _keeping a secret_ ; it isn't like finding weed hidden in my room, or me sneaking out to go to parties. If you find out that I might be getting harassed at school, your concern shouldn't be if what they're saying is true or not; you should be asking me if I'm okay. But you don't care. All you care about is what it's going to look like to other people. How are you going to explain to your friends, or coworkers, or the rest of our family, that your daughter doesn't have or want a boyfriend? Why is she so uncomfortable when we all pray before Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner? Why does she change the subject every time we start talking about politics? It's because I'm gay, but you can't even say the word without it sounding like you hate me. I’m already dealing with that stuff at school; what makes you think I'd want to come home and get that from you guys, too?”

Well. Oops.

Her mother turns away from her, staring at the ground with a hand on her forehead. Her father is still looking at her, and he’s trying to keep it together, but it isn’t really working. Trini’s ready to leave and just _get out of there_ , but she’s almost afraid to move because it might set them off. What they might _do_ , she isn’t sure. But she doesn’t want to find out.

“You don’t have to lecture me. I already know how you feel about this stuff. Just… let me know if you want me out of here.” She’s up and heading towards the stairs, but her father calls out her name at the last minute.

“We just need time to process this,” he says.

She turns around and keeps moving until she gets to her room. _They just need time_. Sure.

Saying it’s been a tough day would be an understatement. It’s been tough--emotional--confusing--terrifying. It could be the last day that she still gets to call this place her home, because if her parents are _thinking_ about everything that was just said? She wouldn't be surprised if they kicked her out. If she weren't _so tired,_ she might take a break to just cry for a few minutes. And she should also probably shower. That's a great place to get away with crying in. If she really wanted to just _lose it_ , saying she got soap in her eyes would be a good excuse as to why they'd look so red. But she's passed out in bed almost immediately after changing out of her clothes. She can shower in the morning.

 

She wakes up sometime after midnight.

There isn't anything too different about this nightmare. It's the same thing that always happens--she's trapped, powerless, hurt, or _others_ are hurt. Even if it's the same, it doesn't make it any easier to experience. And after having such an emotionally draining day, this is just the icing on top. She's crying before she even realizes she's awake.

And she's just so angry--so tired of not being able to sleep, and having to deal with all of these _feelings_ . Just wishes she could _stop fucking crying_. She tears the covers off of herself and jumps out of bed to start pacing.

She's freaking out.

The pacing doesn't calm her down at all, so the anger wins out over everything else. When she looks for something to punch, she stops at her makeshift shelves. The ones made of wood planks and cinder blocks. She punches one of the upper level cinder blocks.

More than once.

It hurts.

There's now a pile of broken concrete on her floor, and her hand is definitely bleeding, but she's feeling so numb--emotionally, physically, in every way, really--that she can't really feel her hand anymore. It probably isn't a good sign.

She doesn't care.

And her phone buzzes on her side table.

When she checks the caller ID, it's Kimberly's name and face on the screen. She lets it go to voicemail. But then it's ringing again, and she realizes that not answering will only make Kim worry, and she'll probably end up running down here in person. And that's _not_ going to happen.

So she answers. And it's a little hard, but she tries to sound calm when she does it. “What?”

“Are you okay?”

Is she ever okay? “I'm fine.”

“I tried calling the guys because I didn't think you'd want to talk to me, but they weren't answering. And… you had a nightmare.”

“Yeah.”

There's a small stretch of silence. “It felt like--”

“Look, Kim,” Trini says, and she has to cut her off because she _can't do this_. “Thanks for checking on me. But… I can't talk to you right now.”

“Wait, Trini, I--”

She hangs up before she can second guess herself.

She wants to talk to Kimberly. Honestly, she does. But right now isn't the time. She needs her own space to calm down, and after what she told Kim earlier, she's pretty sure a little distance would probably be good for them.

 

\---

 

Trini takes her time fixing up her hand before she tries going back to sleep, and she manages to get another couple of hours in. They aren't consecutive, but it's better than nothing.

She gets up earlier than she normally would the next morning. First, because she needs to shower, and second because she’d like to leave her house without having to interact with her parents. They had an entire night to talk--or to _not_ talk and come to a quiet decision of what to do with her--and she doesn’t want to face whatever they have to say until after school. It’ll be easier to deal with then. So if they want to kick her out, they’ll have to wait.

She’s halfway to the school when she gets a text from her mother, asking her to be home right after class so they can talk. It isn’t really news for her--she _knew_ they wouldn’t be ignoring this--but now she has written confirmation that it’s happening, and that makes it feel way more real.

It might be a little dumb, but she’s hoping that she’s early enough to get her stuff _on her own_ . Kim knows her locker combination, so it isn’t like she really _needs_ Trini to be there. But of course Kimberly would get there early, too, because she was probably _expecting_ this to happen. She knows that Trini doesn’t want to talk, but that doesn’t mean they have to completely avoid each other all day. [It’s unnecessary and kind of impossible.] Trini already has her things out and is about to shut the door when Kimberly walks up.

“Hey.”

Trini pauses, then turns to her and nods, motioning at the still open locker.

Kimberly stares for a moment before realizing what she means and grabbing her things. She shoulders her bag again and stands there awkwardly while Trini closes and locks the door.

She had a plan for how to deal with this, _she swears_ , but she just… doesn’t remember any of it anymore. And Trini’s turning around to leave, and Kim’s panicking, so she puts a hand on Trini’s arm to stop her.

“Hey, wait. I, uh… I get it if you need some space or time for yourself, but… when you’re ready, it’d be cool if we could talk. _You_ don’t have to talk at all, but I have some stuff that I want--stuff that I _need_ to say. So… Yeah. I’ll see you later.”

Trini was finally starting to feel _a little_ relaxed, but that sentence just threw a wrench in any calm she might’ve had. She has _stuff she needs to say?_ What the hell does that mean?

Lunch doesn’t go much better. They thought that having the guys there would make things less awkward, but it really doesn’t. If anything, it just makes them all more aware that something’s wrong. The guys can feel the tension. And they know they agreed that Trini should take her time with whatever she needs, but with them all sitting there _staring_ , they really wish the two girls would just _talk to each other_. But it’s barely been a day. They can tough it out a little longer if they need to.

Zack’s having a hard time with it, though. “Haha… This isn’t awkward at all… We’re having a great time right now, guys…”

Billy looks up from his food, shaking his head. “I think it’s pretty awkward, Zack. Trini and Kimberly aren’t talking, and they’re sitting as far away from each other as they can get. Normally it’s the opposite of that; they always sit right next to each other, and sometimes they’ll talk about things just between the two of them like the three of us aren’t here.”

“I know, B. It was sarcasm,” Zack says. “Sorry.”

“Oh.”

Kimberly shifts uncomfortably in her seat. She’s trying _not_ to look at Trini, but she’s pretty sure that _actively trying not to do something_ only makes you want to do it more.

And Trini can’t really handle the tension. The guys trying to be sneaky when they glance at her, Kim failing miserably to _not_ look at her, the strain in their conversation, how it feels like they’re all waiting for her to decide she’s good, or that she’s finally ready to talk to them and fix everything. If lunch weren’t almost over, she’d straight up leave. So it makes sense that she’s the first out of the lunchroom when it actually _is_ over.

Jason grabs Kim before they all split up, hoping to get some sort of estimate of how long they'll have to endure this. “Please tell me you’re going to talk to her soon. This is ridiculous.”

“I asked if we could talk when she’s ready,” Kimberly says, shaking her head. “I’m not gonna push.”

He sighs, but he understands. “That’s probably for the best. I just hope she doesn’t need _that much_ time. I have a bad feeling that something’s going to jump out and surprise us, and if that happens, we need to be a _team_.”

“Yeah, I know.”

 

\---

 

**Black and Yellow**

**[zenon: the zackuel | trini[** **_lightning emoji_ ** **]]**

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** what happened to Kim’s hand?

 **zenon: the zackuel:** um, i’ll tell ya, but only if u tell me what happened to UR hand first

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** um

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** did you name urself after the disney channel movie zenon: girl of the 21st century (1999)

 **zenon: the zackuel:** no?? I named myself after the disney channel movie Zenon: the Zequel (2001), aka the SEQUEL

 **zenon: the zackuel:** get w/ the program trin

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** sorry, my bad

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** I punched a block of concrete that I had in my room

 **zenon: the zackuel:** oh, of course

 **zenon: the zackuel:** as one normally does

 **zenon: the zackuel:** ya girl punched a rock in the pit cause she dumb and impulsive

 **zenon: the zackuel:** like u apparently

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** k thnx, that’s all i needed. Bye

 **zenon: the zackuel:** u used me for information

 **zenon: the zackuel:** i’m offended

 **zenon: the zackuel:** w/e bye

 

\---

It’s both a blessing and a curse that Trini’s parents want her home directly after school. On the plus side, she doesn’t have to go train or sit through two more hours of awkward staring. On the downside, she has to talk to her parents about how she sort of [not even sort of; she directly] came out to them last night.

Her mother is standing right inside the door when Trini walks in, and it surprises her so much, she's two seconds away from making a _very_ big mistake. She doesn't know how she stops herself, but if her reflexes had fully kicked in, she probably would've knocked her mom out. Her mother doesn't notice anything wrong, so she starts telling Trini to take her time, do her homework or grab some food, and that she’ll be waiting in the living room so they can talk. That sends up several red flags.

Just the fact that she gets _the choice_ to take her time and prepare herself is odd. Her mother being so _calm_ when she speaks to her is… rare. And her father isn't here, which means this _talk_ is going to take place without him. He was the one hope she had of this going well.

“We aren't going to wait? It's just us?”

Her mom nods. “Your father is going to be home late. But we talked this through, and we may have had some disagreements, but we agree that this is a conversation you and I need to have right now.”

Everything is telling her to take that offer--to go waste some time before putting herself through this--but it'll be stuck in the back of her mind until it actually happens. Might as well go ahead and get it over with. So she walks farther into the house, to the living room, and drops her backpack at her feet as she takes a seat on the couch.

“Okay, let's get it over with. Lay it on me.”

Her mother sighs, taking one of the chairs perpendicular to her. She already looks lost, and they haven’t even started talking yet. “When did this happen?”

Oh boy, already off to a _great_ start. “When did I _know?_ ”

“Sure.”

Trini shrugs. “I don’t know. Always? A few years ago? Hard to tell, ‘cause for some reason I had this idea in my head that I needed to hate myself for even considering to think that way. So it didn’t settle as soon as it could have.”

“Trini,” her mother says, now clearly annoyed. “I’m trying to--”

“I don’t think you’re trying. I think I know why you and Dad were arguing, and I know why you wanted to talk to me without him here. You can barely look at me right now; you aren’t being subtle.”

She sighs again, but she isn’t making any effort to deny it. Trini isn’t surprised.

“If you want me out of the house, let me know so I can start packing.”

“We are not kicking you out of the house,” she says. To put it lightly, she’s tense as hell. “We still… love you.”

Right, because that _totally_ sounded like it was coming from someone who loves her and isn’t counting down the days for her to turn eighteen and get out of here.

“But…”

Of course there’s a _but_.

“You have to understand that we want what’s best for you. And _this_ … If what was written on your locker happened to you just from some girls being petty, then what do you think would happen if you had it your way and… came out?”

Well, first of all, _Mom_ , that isn’t her way. She didn’t _want_ to come out to anyone but the Rangers, and even that was difficult. Second of all, she was already basically _forced_ to come out. Anyone who might care enough to dog on her for it already knows. “That didn’t happen because I’m gay. It’s just something they latched onto to get under my skin. If it wasn’t that, then it would’ve been… Something racist. Or more general. Me being gay and what happened to my locker because of who I’m friends with are two totally different things that aren’t as related as you want them to be.”

She did _not_ like that response. Trini isn’t entirely sure why. She could be saying way worse things; right now she’s only relaying what has actually happened.

“If this is a result of us not being more involved with your life…” She grabs the pillow from behind her in the chair, bringing it to her lap so she can have something to look at that _isn’t_ her disappointment of a daughter.

Please don’t make her say, _“It’s not a phase, Mom!”_ She’s never had to do it before, and she really doesn’t want to start now. Somehow it seems like saying that will have the opposite effect--that it’ll tell her mom that _a phase_ is exactly what it is.

“If your father is gone too much, or we’re focussing too much on your brothers… If this is a cry for help or more attention…”

“It’d make things a whole lot easier on you, wouldn’t it?” Trini asks, and this time it’s relatively calm. Not passive aggressive or anything, and that isn’t something her mother is used to. But Trini knows she’s right. If that were what was happening, it’d give her parents something to fix and a way to fix it.

“This isn’t the life we wanted for you,” her mom says quietly.

But what does that even mean? What kind of life? _Being_ gay, or being _targeted_ because she’s gay? She’s pretty sure it’s the former. “The life you and Dad wanted, or just you? He wants you to be open minded about this, right? _That_ was your disagreement? Did you even consider listening to him, or do I get my stubbornness from you?”

Her mother has her hands together, fingers against her forehead like she’s praying. She probably is. “If this is something you insist on… on following…”

“It isn’t an Instagram or a Twitter account, Mom. That’s not…” Trini says, but shakes her head. Her mom isn’t going to listen to her. “Nevermind.”

“I… I don’t know. I need to think about this some more.”

Fan-fucking-tastic.

“Can you just tell me one thing? Do you… If you aren’t dating that… that girl you’re sharing a locker with. Do you _have_ a… girlfriend?”

Yeah, that looked pretty painful. “No.”

She doesn’t miss the huge breath of relief her mom lets out. “So that isn’t where you are all the time? You really are with friends?”

“Yes. When I say I’m with friends, I’m _with friends_.”

“Okay. Go… go do your homework. I need to pick up your brothers; we can finish this later.”

It seems pretty finished to Trini, but she figures that’s probably her mom’s way of saying, _“I’m still not okay with this, but I don’t know what to say in this current moment.”_ So that’s great.

She might need to call one of the guys because she’s _really_ tired, and the only way she can get an _actual_ night of sleep would be with one of them near her. She wishes she hadn’t fucked everything up with Kim. If this were just another normal day, she could show up at her window without any sort of explanation, and Kimberly would let her in and help her get some sleep while keeping any questions she may have to a minimum.

 

\---

 

**Ranger Danger**

**[zenon: the zackuel | billyc | goldenboi | princess.hart | trini[** **_lightning emoji_ ** **]]**

 **billyc:** Trini, we’re here if you need to talk. It’s fine if you don’t want to, though. We’re here if you don’t want to talk, too.

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** thanks B

 **goldenboi:** Are you upset abt something?

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** sometimes i hate our ranger connection thing

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** I’m fine

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** just sort of got forced into coming out to my parents, but w/e

 **princess.hart:** What?

 **zenon: the zackuel:** how did that happen????

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** well. The school finally decided to do smth abt the vandalization problem going on, so they called my parents up so i could tell them who i thought might’ve done it. Except i was training w/ u guys, so it was just them who went down to the school, and they saw what was on the locker and interrogated me when i got home, and i’m tired of lying so i just told them it was true

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** more or less

 **goldenboi:** And they didn’t take it well?

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** no, not really. My dad’s taking it better than my mom, and they aren’t kicking me out, but I don’t see them buying a rainbow flag to hang outside the house anytime soon. I’ve gotten the whole “this is a phase, we don’t pay enough attention to you” speech, and my mom can’t really look me in the eye rn

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** we aren’t done talking abt it, but for now i’m ok

 **zenon: the zackuel:** sorry t, that rlly sucks

 **goldenboi:** You have a place to stay if it gets bad

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** thanks guys

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** i don’t really wanna talk about it anymore, though, so I’m gonna do some homework

 **zenon: the zackuel:** gotcha buddy [ _thumbs up emoji_ ]

 **goldenboi:** [ _sunglasses emoji_ ]

 ****billyc:** ** [ _smiley emoji_ ]

 

**\---**

 

The next morning goes almost exactly how Trini expects it to. Not much different than yesterday--she gets her things from her locker at the same time Kimberly does, but this time they stand in front of it and stare for a moment before either makes a move to open it. The graffiti is different today. Like they got the janitor to clean it all off last night, but someone managed to get to it again before anyone could notice.

They don't know when it could've been tampered with, but there isn't much of a window. It was most likely right before Trini and Kimberly got to school. Unless the cheerleaders had a weekday practice and got inside the school after the janitor made his rounds. They don't know, but they also don't care. Trini knew that cleaning it off wouldn't fix anything, so she isn't surprised.

Neither of them says anything about it out loud. They get their things and then separate for class, and Trini’s ready to space out until the day’s over. Until she gets a message in the group chat halfway through second period.

**goldenboi:** So… Kim just got suspended…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the Netflix thing sounds really stupid, but I (unfortunately) can promise you that there ARE people who are that dumb


	10. Too Many Awkward Silences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kimberly's reckless and impulsive  
> Trini's tired of the mind-numbing awkwardness  
> And the boys take a step back to let them figure things out (and maybe go out on a sort-of triple date)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How many times am I going to switch between using parentheses and brackets?  
> Apparently a lot bc I don't care abt grammar rules and i think brackets look cooler ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Kimberly can’t stop thinking about how _responsible_ she is for so much that’s been going wrong in Trini’s life recently. Her locker’s been vandalized with hate, she’s on a _To-Be-Bullied_ hit list, and she was forced to come out to her parents. [And apparently Kimberly’s the reason that she’s so pissed off and distancing herself from everyone, but _that’s_ something to address later when Trini will actually talk to her about it.] She knows there isn’t anything she can do to make up for it, and even if she tried, Trini would only reiterate that it _wasn’t_ really her fault. Even though it was. _Is_ . But she wants to do _something_. Just sitting around, waiting, and letting this happen is making her restless.

It doesn’t help that, as her first period class starts, there are a lot of people who just so happen to be using Trini and Kimberly’s locker as their subject of choice. They’re only joking around about it, and that _sucks_ , but it could be worse.

And it gets worse. She jinxed herself.

The talk extends beyond just their locker, and to both Trini and Kimberly themselves. She isn’t worried about what they’re saying about _her_ \--she’s heard it all before--but what they’re saying about Trini is getting under her skin. Because _they don’t even know her_ , and she isn’t around to defend herself, and Kim knows they’re only doing it to piss her off. Kimberly is _clearly_ in view of them, and they see her tensing up as the conversation moves forward.

She’s really trying to ignore it. She just punched a wall and screwed up her hand; she needs to stop using violence to solve her problems.

They quiet down when class starts, and Kimberly's never been more grateful to have _schoolwork_ to focus on.

But there's a guy that sits behind her--Brad? Chad? Todd? Some generic White Boy Jock name--that never seems to know how to shut up. When a teacher is out sick and someone insists on fucking with the substitute? Yeah, he's _that_ guy. Sometimes he even likes to lean forward in his seat and whisper annoying comments to Kim, just because he can and he knows she can't do anything about it. Today isn't an exception. And given the previous mention of that locker and what it now displays, he's got new material.

What he's suggesting and _explaining in detail_ to Kimberly doesn't surprise her--he's a straight white boy, Kim’s bi, and Trini’s a lesbian. So where his mind automatically went is pretty obvious. That doesn't make it any less gross, or Kim any less angry and uncomfortable. And she was already on edge, so messing with her _even more_ is just stupid on his part.

She doesn't care about trying to ignore it anymore.

So she turns around in her chair to see the guy, and says in the calmest most innocent voice she can muster, “Hey, so did you hear about that time I punched Ty Fleming’s tooth out?”

He leans back just a fraction and nods. “Duh. Everyone did. Heard they put it back, too.”

Nice to know _that_ phrase stuck. She smiles. “Cool. Then you should feel pretty lucky that you _aren't_ losing any teeth. Right?”

“What?”

He doesn't have much time to react before Kimberly is reaching a hand out to the back of his head and then slamming it forward into his desk. He's crying out, his hands going up to his face, and she might see some blood. It's possible that she broke his nose. (She seriously made an effort to hold back with her strength, but that doesn't mean she didn't want it to _hurt_.)

So much for not using violence to solve her problems.

“ _Jesus fucking Christ! What the hell?!”_ It's muffled because he's covering his face.

Some similar things are being called out by a few people in the classroom, everyone surprised, half of them scared, the other half amused. The teacher stares on in shock and confusion, and yells, “ _Kimberly!_ ” But that's all he does. He probably doesn't know what else _to_ do.

She doesn't pay much attention to them; instead focuses on grabbing her bag, slinging it over a shoulder, and standing up to leave the room. “I'll take myself to the principal's office.”

She probably isn't supposed to be going _alone_ to turn herself in, but everyone looked so surprised, she doesn't see any of them enforcing that policy any time soon.

That was a really stupid thing to do. It _did_ feel kind of good, and she managed to do some damage without really needing her semi-injured hand, but it was stupid. She already has detention every Saturday--throwing this in isn't going to work in her favor. So… suspension. Probably. Or worse.

God, that wasn't enough to get her _expelled_ was it? No…

Was it?

She makes a detour down to Trini’s locker instead of going straight to the office, and pauses to reread the new graffiti a couple of times. She doesn't _need_ to unlock it first, but she does anyway. Grabs both of their things and throws what she can into her bag. Then she rips the door off.

Trini doesn't need a locker, either.

When she walks into the office, the secretary and two TAs stop what they’re doing entirely to look at her.

“I need to speak with Principal Feig.”

Needless to say, they don’t make her wait long.

She tries to explain everything right off the bat--telling them that she knows they washed the locker off, but it was targeted again, and it won’t stop. If this is what she has to do to stop it, this is what she has to do. Then she pulls the couple of Trini’s books from her bag and sets them on the principal’s desk, asking if he can make sure she gets them.

The principal and one of the other administrators are still mostly shocked. Because now they have to order _another_ locker replacement, and _this isn’t even the girl they thought that had to worry about._ If there were any sort of professional way to say, _“What the fuck?”_ that’s the exact emotion they’d be displaying.

“Also, I might’ve broken a guy’s nose in class fifteen minutes ago.”

At least Kimberly’s making their day a little more interesting, right?

 

\---

 

**Ranger Danger**

**[zenon: the zackuel | billyc | goldenboi | princess.hart | trini[** **_lightning emoji_ ** **]]**

 **goldenboi:** So… Kim just got suspended…

 **zenon: the zackuel:** um what?? how??

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** I just saw her before 1st period, and she seemed fine. What could she have possibly done between then and now?

 **goldenboi:** She explained it all to me while she was waiting for her parents to pick her up… so, apparently some guy in her first period class was being obnoxious and making suggestive comments abt him and her and T, bc everyone was talking about what was written on that locker, so she slammed his face into his desk and broke his nose. She left to turn herself in to the principal, but stopped to rip the door off Trini's locker

 **zenon: the zackuel:** holy shit!!!

 **billyc:** Doesn't that count as escalating a fight? I thought we agreed it was a bad idea to utilize our strength with civilians

 **goldenboi:** Yeah, B. I don't know what she's thinking rn.

 **zenon: the zackuel:** I might have to start calling k crazy girl instead of u, t, cause that's some next level stuff

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** that was stupid

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** and unnecessary

 **goldenboi:** I don't think she saw it that way. She didn't seem regretful when she texted me

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** that's cause she's reckless and impulsive and on an adrenaline high

 **billyc:** I thought they were getting the janitor to clean your locker, Trini. Did that not happen, or did Kim decide to rip the door off anyway?

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** they did clean it, but it didn't stay that way for very long. It was covered in marker and stuff probably almost immediately after it got washed down

 **zenon: the zackuel:** sounds like Kim just wanted to return the favor

 **goldenboi:** At least she didn't throw it into a classroom like someone else we know

 **goldenboi:** Also, Kim wanted me to tell Trini “You don't need a locker, either” Idk if that means smth to u, or if it was a general statement

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** god, why is she so extra

 **trini[** **_lightning_ ** **]:** yeah, I get what she means. Thanks j

 **zenon: the zackuel:** why didn't she just text this to all of us, tho???

 **goldenboi:** I think she didn't want to get overwhelmed by everyone responding at once

 **zenon: the zackuel:** ok, but what does that mean, boss man?? Is she still gonna have her phone later or are her parents confiscating it

 **goldenboi:** I'm not sure. I guess we'll find out later.

 **billyc:** I really hope they don't take her phone. Assuming that she's grounded as well, between that and not being allowed on campus until her suspension is up, we won't be able to see or talk to her for days

 **zenon: the zackuel:** uh, yeah. i hope so too, b 

 

\---

 

Trini finds herself leaving her third period class and taking the route to her locker by reflex. She only barely remembers that she no longer _has_ a locker before she reaches the new random hole in the wall. By that point she just finds herself staring at it.

It's weird. But also kind of… nice?

She isn't sure how to explain it.

“That's hardcore.”

She hears a voice coming from behind her, and turns around to someone she doesn't know. It's a girl she's seen before--probably with Amanda or Harper; most likely a cheerleader. The comment was directed at her.

“We didn't think you'd actually tear it off again.”

Trini glances back at the hole in the wall for a moment before turning around again. “Right. Because I obviously broke the door off, got rid of it, and came back to the scene of the crime just for fun.”

The girl stares at her, eyebrows drawn together.

Trini sighs. “I'm gonna give you a minute to think that one over.”

 _Slowly_ , it dawns on her what must've happened. If she--for some reason--knows that Kim’s been missing almost all day, or heard that she _broke a guy's nose_ , figuring the rest out isn't that hard. “You mean you _didn't_ do that?”

She shakes her head.

“Holy shit. Oh my god; that's _so_ much better,” she says as she walks away with her face glued to her phone.

Great. She should've just kept her mouth shut. It isn't like no one was ever going to find out that Kimberly “pulled a Trini” with _this_ locker, but she feels bad about kind of being the reason for the information to spread so soon so fast. At least Kim doesn't have to be around to experience any immediate backlash.

Even though Trini knows she needs to get to class, she's stuck standing in the middle of that hallway thinking about how she _does_ need a locker. It isn't a weight problem--their superhero strength prevents that from happening--but it's _a lot_ . Books for almost every class, folders, binders, mandatory notecards, posters for projects, and whatever else they might need. It isn't exactly stuff they can just _carry_ with them everywhere. She _could_ see if she can start using Zack’s. He spends more time out of school than in it, and keeps all of his books and materials at home in an effort to teach himself on his own time. _Maybe_ one of them could share with Jason. But he seems like he'd be a little haphazard; with random papers just thrown around and sticking out of random places. Even if there's space, it might not be worth it to try out. Billy, however, would be the opposite. He keeps his locker just the way he likes it; knows exactly how to find what he's looking for. On the inside of the door he keeps a taped up schedule for his classes, a couple of charts, and a row of sticky notes to keep track of when assignments are due. It's got order, and it's what he's used to, and there's room for a book or two to be thrown in, but they don't need to disrupt what he's already comfortable with.

Actually, now that Trini’s thinking about it, where the _hell_ are her Bio and History books? ‘Cause if Kim left them and some kid _stole_ them--it happens more often than it should. Someone loses their already issued textbook, will have to pay for a whole new one, but gets out of it by turning in someone else's as if it's their own--she's going to owe her, like, a hundred and sixty dollars and (non Krispy Kreme) doughnuts every morning for the rest of the year. And a coffee every now and then for the _emotional_ toll this is _definitely_ taking on her.

She's _distraught_ over this, honestly.

[Sarcasm fully intended.]

And it seems like texting Kimberly to find out won't actually result in anything. Either she doesn't have access to a phone anymore, she's ignoring any messages she's getting, or she's still sitting through a lecture with her parents.

If she explains the locker situation to her teachers, they'll understand, right? They're gonna have to, because she doesn't know what else she could do.

 

\---

 

“So if Kim’s grounded, are we still having band practice? Or training for the rest of the week? Because if she's grounded for the duration of her suspension, she won’t be back in school until Monday. But if she’s grounded for longer than that, we might need to figure out a way she can sneak out,” Billy says as he and Trini join the other two outside of the school. They kind of went over what was going on in their group chat, but some clarification is _definitely_ necessary. All they really discussed was how it didn’t make sense that Kimberly was allowed to keep her phone, but still grounded and “trusted” to not go anywhere during the next few days because her parents would be at work all day. She’s stuck at home, but they won’t _really_ have a way to know if she stays under that roof or not.

Her parents _are_ home with her right now, so she can’t get away with sneaking out, but according to Kimberly, she’s pretty sure they’ll back off by tomorrow.

Jason shakes his head. He’s been thinking about this all day, trying to decide on what call to make. What would be the _smart_ thing to do. Because lately things have been… chaotic to say the least. They could all use a whole month of a break, but that isn’t something they can realistically get away with. “No. I… You know what? Whatever. Just take the whole week off; why the hell not? We all need to get our acts together because _this_ is not working. I’ll just… I’ll tell Zordon and Alpha that it’ll be trickier for us to get down there this week, and that we’ll still do our own form of exercising up here on the surface. Alright?”

More time to herself without the others badgering her to talk to them? That’s _perfectly_ alright for Trini. She spins around to walk away and calls over her shoulder, “Works for me.”

“Hey, T. Keep your phone by you. Just in case?” Zack says, and when Trini looks back she’s slightly surprised by the concern on his face. Jason’s right. They’re all messed up. They all need to get their acts together.

She nods, and then turns back to make her way home.

“So, what do you guys think?” She hears Zack ask the other two as she walks away. “Krispy Kreme date for the three of us?”

“Zack, the Krispy Kreme hasn’t been rebuilt yet. Didn’t we already talk about this?” Billy says.

The last thing she can hear from them is Zack saying, “Then _just_ doughnuts. Come on. Don’t leave me hanging.”

Even if Trini’s about to go sulk, she’s glad that her friends can find a way to have fun despite everything else going on.

Since she isn’t ready to face whatever’s waiting for her at home again, she goes down to the mines and finds herself on _her_ cliff. Her part of the mountains that she’d always go to to calm down and block the rest of the world out. It’s been awhile since she’s been down here. At least, without the other Rangers around.

She sits on the edge of the rock for a while, just listening to music instead of jumping into any yoga. At one point she closes her eyes and lets the death metal take over--as odd as that sounds--focussing on taking deep breaths and feeling the wind blow by. It’s easier to think about stuff when she doesn’t feel other people pressuring her into it.

She doesn’t realize that she’s been there for so long until the sun is starting to go down, and by that point she’s both sore from not moving, and somehow _less_ eager to get home than before.

As much as she _wants_ to, there's no way she can get away with staying out all night. But she could make one stop; drop by Kimberly's window to hear what went down right from the source.

She shouldn't.

Should she?

No. It's a bad idea. They still need to have a different conversation--one Trini isn't currently ready for--and it's very possible that Kimberly doesn't want to see her anyway. Trini wouldn't blame her. She's been closed off and pretty stubborn with how much she's _saying_ versus what people are _asking_.

Trini just needs to go home.

 

\---

 

Kimberly doesn’t try reaching out to Trini over the next couple of days. She messages the guys to ask if she’s alright, and sometimes the group chat because she knows it’s something Trini will most likely see, but she never messages her directly. Without training or their pre-planned group hangouts, though, there isn’t much that happens that’s worth talking about. As far as school goes, the guys tell her that Trini isn’t _ignoring_ them, but she also isn’t making much of an effort to talk to them. So, nothing has changed. Everything seems _fine_ and _manageable_ and _“Maybe in a couple more days Trini will be ready to talk,”_ but apparently that’s too much to ask for. Because when Kimberly comes back to school on Monday, Trini’s “out sick”.

“Is it even _possible_ for us to get sick?” Kimberly asks.

Billy shrugs. “We haven’t tested it yet, so unless Trini’s actually sick, we won’t know for sure. But, I don’t know _how_ we would test it…”

“Did she look sick on Friday?”

The guys all look at each other, and Jason says, “Not really.”

The only thing they heard from Trini over the weekend were a couple of throwaway comments that she only sent to ensure them she was okay, with her family, just doing her own thing.

Kimberly sighs, running a hand through her hair. It isn’t like she expected to come back with everything normal again, but she didn’t think that Trini would be _that_ opposed to just _being in the same room as her_. “She’s avoiding me.”

Zack nods. “Yeah, probably.”

“Seriously? How long is she going to keep this up?”

“I don’t know,” Jason says, shaking his head. “But if you two don’t figure out something soon, I’ll have to step in and use my _important leader voice_. We’re supposed to be a team and that isn’t what we are right now.”

Well… yeah, okay, that’s a problem, too. But Kimberly’s more focussed on the _friendship_ thing than the _team of superheroes_ thing.

Trini skips class on Tuesday, too.

That’s pretty annoying, but she hasn’t been answering her phone, so it’s also worrying. They don’t _think_ anything is wrong, but the possibility is there. In reality, though, she’s probably ignoring them, or a condition of missing class was that she can’t be on her phone (Trini may have mentioned that she isn’t allowed to watch TV on sick days because her mother believes, _“If you’re well enough to watch television without throwing up, you’re well enough to go to school.”_ Not having her phone sort of makes sense with that logic.), or she _is_ just that sick and can’t make herself do anything but lie in bed.

Kimberly spends a half an hour after school debating with herself on if she should stop by Trini’s house. A _very big_ part of her is shouting, _“No! Bad idea!”_ but there’s also that _small_ part that’s saying, _“But she isn’t answering her phone, and would it really_ hurt _to at least check on her?”_ Eventually she decides that it probably is a bad idea, but that she’s gonna do it anyway.

That’s kind of her life motto.

As soon as she’s knocking on Trini’s front door she realizes that it might’ve been a good idea to _text her_ that she was coming by. She might not’ve answered, but the chances of her seeing the message and not being caught off guard would have increased.

She hears a bit of a commotion. Some kids voices, footsteps that are quickly moving closer to her, and then what sounds like the door knob moving slightly. That’s interrupted by--who she assumes is--Trini’s mom yelling, _“How many times have I told you not to answer the door on your own?”_

One of the kids responds with something that sounds like, _“We aren’t on our own; we’re with each other.”_

There’s another reply from Trini’s mother that’s inaudible, then a pause, and the door swings open. And she stands there with a neutral expression, but Kim’s still kind of intimidated.

Kimberly tries her best to look… normal? Not like a hooligan? Just, presentable, at least.

“Can I help you?”

She tries not to stammer through her response. “Um, yeah. Hi. I’m a friend of Trini’s from school. We have Bio together, and I know she’s missed the past couple of days, so I was just bringing by a study guide that got handed out.”

Oh, god. What if Trini’s mother _didn’t_ know that she was skipping class, and Kim’s out here just completely ratting her out?

Of course she’d do something, _by accident_ , to further complicate Trini’s life.

“It isn’t mandatory,” Kim continues. She should give an explanation, right? “But if she fills it out and hands it in on the day of the test, she’ll get extra credit. I didn’t know if she’d want to do it or not, because she does pretty well in that class, but in case she didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity…” She holds the papers up.

June looks down at the study guide for a moment before holding her hands out and taking it from her.

She probably should’ve assumed that there’d be no chance of her actually _seeing_ Trini.

“Who am I telling her stopped by?”

“Oh, um…” Should she lie? She would _definitely_ recognize her name and make the connections, but lying would only lead to more consequences down the road. Trini would have no idea what her mom would be talking about, and if Kimberly--for some reason--ever needed to stop by again, that _lie_ would very quickly fall apart. “Kimberly…”

“Kimberly,” June repeats, and she gets this _look_ on her face. Like she already kind of _knew_ , but now she knows for sure and is ready to analyze her. “Hart?”

If it’s possible, she’s even less sure of herself now. “Uh… Yeah?”

“Mm…” Yep. She’s _definitely_ doing that whole _looking her up and down,_ and _very obviously judging her_ thing. But it could probably be worse, right? “Okay. Thank you. I’ll make sure she gets this.”

Then the door is starting to close, and Kim is panicking, and she isn't really sure why, but at the last second she calls out, “Is she okay?”

June pauses, slightly surprised, but she tries not to show it.

“We’ve been texting her, and she isn’t answering her phone. We just want to make sure she’s alright.” Kimberly _barely_ catches herself when she goes to say _I_ instead of _we_. That probably wouldn’t have looked good.

June notices the _we_ , but she’s still… suspicious. Something feels off to her. “She has a cold. She should be back tomorrow.”

“Oh, uh… Okay. Thanks.”

And the door closes.

So, that could’ve gone worse.

Kimberly considers climbing up to Trini’s window, but ultimately decides that would be _way_ too stupid, even for her. She should just be happy that she’s leaving with answers. Or, just _one_ answer.

 

\---

 

Trini leans back against the wall as she watches her mother close the front door. She turns around, sees Trini standing there, and with an almost _bored_ expression, hands her the papers and says, “Did you get all of that?”

That’s a dumb question. Trini was already halfway down the stairs when her mom walked by, saw where she was going, and went straight to answer the door instead of letting her anywhere near it. And that makes sense. She’s supposed to be sick; not randomly answering the door when they don’t even know who’s there. She isn’t even sure _why_ she wanted to see who it was. There was just this… _feeling_ that she had. A feeling that she needed to go downstairs _before there was even a knock_. It’s probably just another Ranger thing. Something that the others heard about before that movie night. They had jumped right into training after Billy, Jason, and Kimberly got back, and she completely forgot to ask about what they discussed, so she’s a little out of the loop on that end.

But, the point is, Kimberly just dropped by her house and met her mother, and Trini heard the entire conversation between the two. Not that it was too much of a _conversation_ , but she _did_ hear it.

She’s really thankful that Kimberly kept her cool and didn’t make anything worse.

“Yeah, I got it,” she says, taking the study guide and kicking off of the wall to head back upstairs.

“Trini?” her mother calls out before she gets too far away. She braces herself for some comment about Kim, or _“her friends,”_ or… she isn’t entirely sure. But she’s ready for it. “Make sure you do that study guide.”

That isn’t what her mother was _going_ to say. Trini can tell. But she isn’t going to complain. “Sure.”

She doesn’t know what her next move needs to be. If she should reach out to the other Rangers, or… Take the rest of the day to make sure she’s ready to talk?

Fuck it. She can’t keep running from this. It’s getting more exhausting than actually talking about her feelings, and she misses her friends, and she misses _Kim_.

She pulls her phone out so she can’t change her mind and back out later.

 

**Pink Lemonade**

**[princess.hart | trini]**

**trini:** we can talk after school tmrw

 **trini:** thnx for coming by

 **princess.hart:** Ok. And, yeah, no problem

 **princess.hart:** Are you actually sick?

 **trini:** no

 

Kimberly doesn’t know how to respond to that, so she just… doesn’t.

 

\---

 

School the next day goes… okay. It’s odd because they both know they’re going to talk later, and they want things to go back to normal, but they still _haven’t_ talked. They can’t even have a casual conversation without it feeling awkward.

When class is _finally_ over and Trini’s ready for that mind-numbing awkwardness to go away, she is not-so pleasantly surprised to find herself sitting in the passenger seat of Kim’s unmoving car, enduring even _more_ awkwardness. They don’t know what they’re doing, and neither of them are offering up solutions, so they’re stuck in the school parking lot. They aren’t even really _speaking_ at all for the first ten minutes. It’s terrible.

“So, uh…” Kimberly breaks the silence. “Where do we want to do this?”

Trini takes a deep breath and shakes her head. “I don’t know. Not around the guys. My place is too risky. So… I guess your house or the cliffs.”

“My house it is, then. Just in case the weather suddenly gets bad or the guys accidentally end up around the mines.”

Well, she can’t exactly drag it out any more than that. “Okay, sure. Don’t see why not.”

It’s a little ridiculous, but they don’t say anything more for the whole duration of the drive. Kimberly’s just trying to think of what she wants to say, and Trini’s staring out the window-- _not looking at Kim_ \--and coming up with all of the different scenarios of how this could go horribly wrong. So if the worst thing actually happens, at least she’ll be prepared for it.

They finally address what they’ve been waiting for once they reach Kimberly’s room.

She hovers for a moment, not entirely sure of where she should be, but settles for sitting on her bed. “So, um… Am I talking first?”

Trini shrugs, taking a seat in Kim’s desk chair. “I mean, you said you wanted to… So…”

“Right. Yeah. I just wanted to make sure.” So she’s already off to a _great_ start. So much for planning out what she wanted to say. “I’m sorry that I’ve been kind of dumb lately.”

Trini tilts her head a bit and nods. “Hm. Yeah.”

“I... Wait. What?”

“I'm agreeing with you. You got yourself suspended, Kim. That’s pretty dumb.”

Okay, that’s true, but also not what she meant. “Whatever. You did the same thing for me and got yourself detention.”

“That… Is not the point.” Trini sits up straighter in her seat. “Also, I didn’t break a guy’s nose by smashing his head into a desk. Like, _seriously_ , Kim?"

“I did it for the same reason you did. And that guy was being a dick. If he had been saying that stuff to _you_ , I’m pretty sure you’d have done the same thing.”

“Sure.” Trini shakes her head and crosses her arms. She also considers kicking the floor to spin herself around--because she has zero impulse control when she’s sitting in a chair with a rotating seat--but doesn’t because Kim might think she isn’t taking this seriously. “What do you mean, _‘you did it for the same reason as me’_?”

Kimberly stares at her like the answer is obvious. “Come on, T. It’s my fault you had to come out to your parents. You don’t need that locker there as a reminder.”

Trini shakes her head again. “You’re so dumb.”

At least they can agree on something.

“Yeah. But, back to my point,” Kim says. “We’ve done some stupid things for each other, and I’ve never thanked you for any of it. You’ve had my back for… longer than I’ve deserved. So… Thank you.”

Trini’s about to respond, but Kim shakes her head and tells her to _“Hold on for a second.”_

“You were right. About there being something between us.”

“I was?” Trini asks, and she doesn’t even try to hide the confusion or disbelief on her face. But then she sits up again and nods with fake confidence. “I mean… I _was_.”

_She’s such a fucking dork._

Kimberly might be _a tiny bit_ in love with her.

“Yeah. It goes both ways.”

“It does?” There’s that confusion again. And also a bit of shock. “I mean… It _does_?”

“Yes.”

Okay. Trini can _totally_ keep her cool. This is fine. Kimberly Hart is into her. No big deal.

She’s doing a terrible job at convincing herself that this isn’t a big deal, but she’s at least (externally) calm enough to reply without completely flipping out. “So… what does that mean?”

“I don’t know. It means… We should stop ignoring _this_ ,” Kim says, motioning in between the two of them.

“Okay, I can do that…” She’s still a little unsure of herself.

It suddenly feels like they’re the actual embodiment of that Kermit the Frog and Christian Bale gif, because all they’re really doing is nodding at each other in silence. The longer they sit there, the harder it seems to be for one of them to say something.

“We need to start talking to each other,” Kimberly suddenly says.

And, well… duh. Way to state the obvious. “Uh… yeah, I know.”

“No, I mean--” Kimberly shakes her head. “Not _right now_ ; I mean in general. Whatever our relationship is, if we’re just friends or more than that or _whatever_ , we can’t close ourselves off from each other. That doesn’t work for anyone. I could _feel_ how uncomfortable the guys were. And that’s not an exaggeration--I was literally feeling it when we were together at lunch.”

Trini sighs. “I know. That's my fault.”

“Listen, I know that sometimes you’re going to need time for yourself. We all do, and it’s _fine_ and _healthy_. But the way you were going about it… I don’t know. Maybe I’m being a selfish bitch, but I think you messed up somewhere.”

She nods, slowly processing all of that. “No, you're right. I’ll talk to you. All of you. Or… I’ll _try_.”

“Okay. And… We aren’t going to pressure you to talk about _everything_. Just don’t pretend like nothing’s bothering you or let it build up.”

Trini does spin in the chair this time, but that’s mostly because they’ve hit another roadblock. These awkward silences are… Sometimes bearable. This one isn’t too bad. But it still isn’t preferable.

“Okay, so… I know things are kind of… You know… Out in the open and everything. But this still feels awkward, and I don’t know how to fix it.”

Kimberly nods, glancing around the room for some sort of topic that could… break the ice? Something to push them into the motions again. Her eyes land on Trini’s beanie that’s lying on her desk. “You know, when I brought that study guide by your house, I _almost_ grabbed your beanie, too. But since your mom answered the door, I’m _so_ glad I didn’t.”

Trini stops spinning, sitting up with wide eyes. “Uh, yeah… me too. My mom already _barely_ believed me when I told her we weren’t dating. If you had shown up and did _that?_ Jesus.”

“Your mom thinks we’re dating?” They kind of are, though, aren’t they?

She nods. “The locker thing.”

“ _Oh_. Right.”

When she realizes that she misjudged their ability to talk about that, she pushes herself off of the bed and takes a few steps across the room towards Trini. And Trini might be a little frozen, because _why is Kimberly walking over here? Randomly? Without saying anything._ Whatever it is, Trini doesn't think she'd be too opposed to it.

Kim grabs the yellow beanie--that Trini somehow never noticed--as soon as it's in her reach, and then spins around to jump back in her spot.

Oh. It was the-- She wasn’t-- She wanted _the hat_. Yeah, that isn't exactly what she was expecting.

Trini may be a tad disappointed.

As Kimberly sits cross legged and turns the beanie over in her hands, Trini’s mind catches up with what she’s seeing.

“Oh, so you’re still not giving it back?”

Kim shrugs. “I’m thinking about it.”

She probably should’ve seen that coming.

“I don’t know,” Kim continues. “I kind of like it. I think I’ll keep holding onto it.” She smirks as she pulls the beanie on over her head.

Trini shakes her head. Kimberly has _no_ business looking that good in _her_ beanie. “I hate you.”

Kim rolls her eyes and says a bit reluctantly, “I’ll give it back.”

“No, I hate you because it looks good on you,” Trini says. “Fuck off; that’s _my_ thing. Do you ever _not_ look good?”

“Mm… No.” Kim shakes her head as she pretends to think it over. “Even after cutting my own hair with dull scissors in a dimly lit bathroom, I got some wolf whistles walking back into the detention room.”

“Of course you did.” She smiles. “You really are a princess, aren’t you?”

“Maybe. Is that a bad thing?”

 _Is that a bad thing?_ What kind of a question is that? “No. Not when it’s you that I’m talking about.”

Kimberly smiles and ducks her head for a moment. _Maybe_ she’s blushing.

“Okay, so are we actually going to talk about _this_ , or are we just letting it be again?” Trini asks, and Kimberly looks back up.

“I don’t know. I’m kind of… scared to acknowledge it,” she says, shrugging. “I mean… we can just… let whatever happens, happen. We don’t have to jump into any labels right now.”

Trini nods slowly. That’ll have to work for now. “Less pressure… I’m cool with that.”

She doesn’t realize that she’s staring until Kimberly raises her eyebrows and points at her head. “You want this back?”

“Yeah, but…” _But it looks good on her? Like, way better than it ever looks on Trini._ “I’m conflicted.”

Kimberly’s about to just take it off and throw it at her, but something makes her pause. “Do you feel that?”

“What?”

“I don’t know. It’s… something.”

Trini glances around the room, but nothing changes or stands out to her. “Oh, well thanks, Kim. That really clears it up.”

“No, it’s just… I don’t know how to explain it.”

Okay…

Trini’s phone buzzing catches both of their attention.

“Oh. It’s, uh… It’s my mom. She wants me to get home.”

Kimberly almost stands, but stops herself. “Everything alright?”

Trini shrugs as she stands up, grabbing her backpack off of the floor and slinging it onto her shoulder. “Yeah. It’s just…Her texts are usually a normal amount of annoyed, but sometimes they’re… She’s… I don’t need to test her patience today.”

“Alright. I’ll text you.”

“Yeah, you better.”

Kimberly smiles. “Slow down there, tiger.”

Trini pauses. “Really? A tiger joke?”

She doesn't know if it was supposed to reference their school mascot, or Trini's Zord, but  _either way_...

“Shut up. You love it.”

She does. But she’d never _admit_ that.

"Wait. What about your hat?"

"Oh." Trini watches as Kim has a hand halfway up as if she's ready to pull the beanie off. "You should hold onto it for me. It looks better on you."

 

\---

 

**Ranger Danger**

**[zenon: the zackuel | billyc | goldenboi | princess.hart | trini]**

**goldenboi:** Hey, guys. So don’t freak out, but there were some Putties down by the edge of town

 **princess.hart:** What?

 **goldenboi:** Yeah, we took care of them, though. So just a heads up. We would’ve called you two, but there were only a few so it didn’t take long.

Trini goes completely still as she reads over the texts. More Putties? In town? But they… Rita’s gone. She’s in space. She’s _gone_. What is going on?

She barely notices her phone buzzing again.

**princess.hart:** Calm down, T. We don’t know if it means anything.

 **zenon: the zackuel:** you good crazy girl??

 **billyc:** Do you need someone right now, Trini?

 **trini:** no, I think I need space. But thanks

 **goldenboi:** Ok, just let us know

 

Deep breaths. She’s gone. She’s not coming back. Trini’s going to be okay.

A knock at her door snaps her out of it, and she turns to see her brothers lingering in the doorway. She takes one more deep breath before sitting up and saying, “Hey, guys. What’s up?”

They walk in and jump onto the end of the bed, opposite Trini.

“You okay, T?” Jackson asks.

Trini nods. “Yeah. What’re you up to?”

“Avoiding Mom.”

She sighs. “What is she doing now?”

“Nothing,” Dante says. “She’s just in one of those moods.”

“Sorry. That’s probably my fault.”

They give her a questioning look, and she debates on whether or not she should actually tell them everything.

“You know things have been tense.”

Jackson nods. “Duh. But, like, why?”

“I like girls and they don’t know how to take it.”

They look at each other, and when they turn back Dante says, “So?”

“We thought they already knew.”

Trini stares at them. Her _brothers_ knew? How did they… What? “Are you telling me _you two_ knew?”

Jackson rolls his eyes and nods. “Yeah, it’s really obvious. You’re always texting that girl. We know you’re _in love_.”

What?

“You get a really dumb smile on your face when you’re texting sometimes, so we went _spy mode_ and saw you were texting some girl.”

“We never see you smile like that anywhere else.”

“Yeah, it’s a different kind of smile.”

Trini’s still confused, but she just shakes her head at them. “Damn, guys.”

“Yeah.” Jackson smiles. “We’re _that_ good. Not to brag.”

“So when are you bringing your _girlfriend_ over?”

How did she end up in this situation? Is she really just _that_ into texting Kimberly sometimes that her brothers can sneak up on her without her noticing? Apparently she is. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

She isn't. Even if that's what Trini wants her to be, they aren't doing labels right now. They're just... going with the flow.

“We want to meet her,” Jackson says.

“Is she pretty?”

“We’re your brothers. We’re supposed to stare her down and tell her not to hurt you. Or else we’ll beat her up.”

As interesting as _that_ would be to see… “She’s _not_ my girlfriend, and you _both_ know I’d never let you do that. No way.”

“Come _on_ , T.” He draws out the second word.

“Listen,” Trini says. “I don’t know if she’ll ever come over. But if she does, you two better behave. Which means not calling her my girlfriend, or bothering her with a million questions.”

“Never,” Dante says simply, and Jackson shoves his shoulder a bit.

“She won’t bring her over if say that, dude.”

Trini watches them go back and forth for a few more moments, and then they get called down for dinner. Her brothers… they’re a handful sometimes. But she loves them. And they’re on her side.

 

\---

 

**Pink Lemonade**

**[princess.hart | trini]**

**princess.hart:** Hey!

 **trini:** what are you so excited about?

 **princess.hart:** Texting you

 **trini:** ugh. That’s so sappy

 **princess.hart:** I haven’t had a real text conversation with you in a week, and before that we were texting, like, daily

 **princess.hart:** MORE than daily

 **princess.hart:** So, yeah, I’ve missed it.

 **trini:** yeah

 **princess.hart:** You should leave your window unlocked tonight

 **trini:** ...damn Kim

 **princess.hart:** Oh my god, no

 **princess.hart:** That’s not what I meant

 **princess.hart:** Unless you’re into it [ _winky face_ ]

 **princess.hart:** No, I just mean that if you’re trying to sleep tonight, and you can’t or you keep waking up, you shouldn’t have to keep running across town to break into my room when you’re the one having nightmares. I can break into your room this time if you need me to.

 **trini:** alright

 **trini:** but if you do that, make sure you’re quiet. I don’t want my parents or my brothers to find u in here, in my bed

 **princess.hart:** Don’t worry abt it, T. I’ll be super discreet

 **trini:** ok…

 **princess.hart:** What, you don’t believe me?

 **trini:** I believe that you think you’ll be discreet. I’m not so sure if you’re right or not

 **princess.hart:** Listen, if I fuck up, I’ll either hide under your bed or jump out the window. You won’t get caught w/ me there

 **trini:** ok. But if you’re somehow wrong, I’ll be pissed

 **princess.hart:** That’s understandable. But for right now, just trust me


	11. She's a Homosexual Having a Panic Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trini gets filled in on the details of their Ranger connection,  
> The boys want to know if Trimberly is finally a Thing or not,  
> Zordon doesn't know what he's talking about,  
> And the Rangers share their feelings at another bonfire bonding session.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This plot is low key all over the place?? Sorry?

**Ranger Danger**

**[zenon: the zackuel | billyc | goldenboi | princess.hart | trini]**

**zenon: the zackuel:** oh my god, guys

 **zenon: the zackuel:** do you think we could hook big z up to our phones??

 **trini:** pls tell me u aren’t calling zordon “big z”

 **zenon: the zackuel:** i’m lil z

 **zenon: the zackuel:** he’s big z. Father z. Daddy z

 **princess.hart:** Please never type that or say that again. I can’t believe you made me read that w/ my own two eyes

 **trini:** dude, you can’t say both of those words like they mean the same thing

 **zenon: the zackuel:** daddy z

 **billyc:** Does this mean you’re going to start calling Zordon, “Daddy Z” when you address him now?

 **princess.hart:** I’m seriously going to break my phone again so I don’t have to deal w/ this anymore

 **trini:** Billy no!!! Why would you ask that!!

 **zenon: the zackuel:** ya know what? I may be into it,,, i’m open to the idea

 

 **zenon: the zackuel** changed their name to **lil z**

 

 **goldenboi:** I don’t respond for ten minutes, and this is what I come back to?

 **princess.hart:** Can we talk about smth else???

 **billyc:** Zack, did you mean connecting him to our phones to where we could message him without going down to the ship?

 **lil z:** yes

 **billyc:** That might be possible. If it is, it would also be very convenient.

 **trini:** zordon being a call away? Getting bored and going through our phone contents via wifi or bluetooth or w/e??

 **trini:** pass

 **lil z:** zordon, now available through the cloud

 **lil z:** it’d be hilarious trying to explain how it all works tho, am i right??

 **goldenboi:** How about we not risk anything big rn, and keep the ranger stuff underground until we have our lives together

 **princess.hart:** ^^Yes. We don't need to create more stress for ourselves

 **billyc:** Okay, but I'll look into it to see how it might work. If we change our minds later, we’ll have some information on it.

 **lil z:** sounds good, billy blue

 **trini:** actually, while we're on the subject, can you guys fill me in on the info Zordon gave u abt our ranger bond thing?

 **goldenboi:** Are u sure we didn't already tell u?

 **trini:** yeah… I'm pretty sure

 **trini:** i’d remember that convo, bro

 **lil z:** ...awk

 **trini:** what?

 **trini:** wait, r u saying u guys told ZACK but FORGOT to tell me??? Seriously?

 **billyc:** Well, I was supposed to tell Zack. Who was supposed to tell Trini?

 **trini:** yeah, WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO TELL TRINI?

 **princess.hart:** It was Jason

 **goldenboi:** No, Kim, it was not. If I recall correctly, when we were leaving the grid, I asked when we should relay to the others. Billy said he could give Zack all the info that next morning on the way to detention, and YOU said “I've got Trini covered”

 **princess.hart:** I did not

 **goldenboi:** It sounds like smth you would say. How do you remember that going down?

 **princess.hart:** I remember u saying we could fill them in later, so I assumed you meant at the same time. All of us. Together.

 **goldenboi:** ????????

 **goldenboi:** Kimberly pls tell me you're joking

 **princess.hart:** No, I'm not joking

 **trini:** bigger question, why DIDN'T u tell us at the same time?

 **goldenboi:** It seemed more convenient the other way

 **trini:** we were literally all together from that point, through the night, and to midday Saturday. Please explain how telling us separately would've been more convenient

 **princess.hart:** ^^ Exactly. I have logic on my side.

 **goldenboi:** I didn't make that up, Kim. You just chose to forget it

 **billyc:** How about we stop arguing, and go ahead and start telling Trini what happened?

 **trini:** sounds good to me

 **princess.hart:** I think ur making stuff up, J. But w/e. Continue w the explanation.

 **billyc:** Jason just turned his phone on DND

 **lil z:** that's fine, i gotcha, t

 **trini:** ...great. thanks

 **lil z:** aight, so, BASICALLY big z said it was hard to explain in human terminology, and he assumed we already knew how it worked bc w/ his team they all “felt it” immediately and understood it

 **lil z:** smth like that. But billy started asking q’s, and he was low key right about a few. So, it’s a bunch of stuff happening at once. 1) distance does matter, 2) ppl who feel certain emotions are more likely to experience them when others do // aka, if i’m feelin chill, billy prob is also Or, throwback to the other day when kimmy punched a wall of rock, and later u decided to wreck some fuckin concrete w/ ur hand. that had some time between it, i know, but still

 **lil z:** 3) how close u are to someone relationship-wise means the bond will be stronger between u, 4) also it’s sometimes random

 **trini:** so there isn’t really an explanation? Wouldn’t that make it mostly just random??

 **billyc:** That’s what we asked, and Zordon responded by saying, “Humans…” in a disappointed tone, and added, “No, it does make sense. Were you not listening?”

 **trini:** that’s confusing…

 **princess.hart:** Oh, but one of the best parts was when he said “The connection will grow and become stronger as the 5 of you bond with your more human customs” And when we asked what exactly would get stronger, he said “Many different aspects” Like???

 **lil z:** ok, but b said alpha cleared it all up, tho

 **billyc:** Exactly! He said we have a sense of knowing when other Rangers are close by, kind of like when our coins vibrate, except it’s in our heads. We have a heightened sense for danger. The other day Jason said he felt like something bad was going to happen, and then the Putties attacked yesterday. Sometimes we can feel each other's emotions. It’s more common/likely if one of us is in distress, or if the emotion we’re experiencing is very strong. And the last thing he said was that we’d grow to be more in sync and in tune to each other.

 **trini:** intense

 **trini:** and confusing

 **trini:** but thanks for finally letting me know

 **lil z:** sure thing, little t, we got u

 **trini:** in light of recent events (and new nicknames) i’m gonna need u to stop calling me that

 **princess.hart:** Big Z, Lil Z, Little T… We don’t have another T, so the specification is unnecessary

 **lil z:** i didn’t think we were going w/ big z, but ok. Am i just supposed to call u t, then?

 **trini:** yes

 **billyc:** What are our nicknames?

 **princess.hart:** Apart from just initials, Jason’s is Jace, and yours is Billy Blue

 **billyc:** Cool! What about you, Kim? Unless Kim is your nickname, because I know we alternate with calling you Kim and Kimberly

 **lil z:** nah, it’s kimmy

 **trini:** princess

 **billyc:** Wow, you guys responded at exactly the same time. Down to the second. Maybe you’re already more in sync w/ each other like Zordon and Alpha 5 said

 **trini:** yikes

 **princess.hart:** I mean, I’m cool with any of those nicknames. Kimmy sort of reminds me of cheer, but my parents call me that too sometimes, so it’s fine.

 **trini:** i gtg guys. Seeya later

 **billyc:** Bye Trini!

 **lil z:** peace, t

 **princess.hart:** Omg, have you guys ever tried Peace Tea?

 **billyc:** No. Is it good?

 **trini:** is that smth all ur preppy friends would get before cheer practice?

 **princess.hart:** No.

 **princess.hart:** We got them after practice.

 **trini:** oh my god

 **trini:** i’m leaving, i’ll have to come back to this convo later

 **princess.hart:** Byeee. Also, Billy, yeah I think it’s pretty great

 **lil z:** i petition for u to get us all peace teas on our way to detention sat

 **princess.hart:** I could, but they come in pretty big cans, so I’d be better off just getting, like, two to share. Some people think they’re an acquired taste…

 **princess.hart:** I’ll match up colors. Pink Lemonade/Tea for me and Trini, and the three of you can get Imported Ceylon Tea

 **lil z:** imported… ceylon?? Bruh this sounds so pretentious

 **princess.hart:** First, we may have gotten them from the “healthy section” of a coffee shop, but u can literally buy them from a gas station, Second, that’s the only flavor that has red/blue/black on the can

 **billyc:** It’s okay, Kim, I’m excited to try it!

 **princess.hart:** Thanks, B

 **princess.hart:** Also, Zack, this was basically your idea, so

 **lil z:** by accident

 **princess.hart:** ...still

 

\---

 

Trini didn’t exactly get a _good_ night’s sleep, but she managed through Wednesday night without needing to call any of the other Rangers. Thursday night is a different story. It rains that night. Storms, actually. There aren’t any leaks in the house, so she doesn’t _feel_ the water, but her room is upstairs so she can hear it at a pretty high volume. But every drop that hits the roof makes a _thud_ that she might as well be able to feel because she flinches like it _is_ hitting her. The wind is so _loud_ , but it doesn’t matter when it’s drowned out by every crack of thunder. And the lightning… She has a new hatred for it. Because she’s never been scared of it before, doesn’t have a reason to be scared of it now, but every single time there’s a flash that illuminates her room she jumps. It’s more annoying than it is scary. So she lies on her stomach, pulling a pillow over her head to muffle the noise and hopefully get some sleep. Even if it’s _bad_ sleep, it’d be better than sitting through this all night.

She was wrong. She _does_ fall asleep, but she’s woken up only a couple hours later. From the storm, or the nightmare, she isn’t sure how it happened, but her focus isn’t on specifics right now. Whatever it was pushed her into a panic attack.

There are methods she can use to get through this, but those are absolutely no help because she doesn’t have a mind clear enough to remember what they are. She’s supposed to count her breaths? Or there’s a breathing technique? Maybe it doesn’t involve that at all, and she’s just supposed to… think of watermelon? No, that’s for sneezing. Pink elephants? Or is that for hiccups? Does she need to stay stationary or start moving around? Go downstairs and hope the living room won’t be as terror inducing?

She’s lost. She’s terrified. She can’t breath. And she’s crying.

Just a few of her _favorite_ moods and activities.

What sucks is that she doesn’t remember the nightmare, but she’s still getting clips of it. Like a highlight reel, but only of the worst parts. Lightning flashes, she closes her eyes as a reflex, and suddenly she’s seeing green eyes, or long nails, or gold and fire and death and--

Trini isn’t sure which one she hates more, the thunder or the lightning. Both make her jump. Both are fucking annoying. But, when they happen almost simultaneously, she realizes that she probably hates them the same amount.

The storm isn’t letting up, and neither is the panic attack, and both have been going on for what feels like a half hour. It doesn’t get easier, but she gets used to it.

Could she ask someone for help? Probably.

The one problem with that is she doesn’t know where she left her phone, and isn’t in a good enough state to try looking for it.

It’s might be best for her to wait it out. It could last all night, but at some point it will end. Even if her ability to breath gets worse and she has to pass out for everything to regulate, it won’t last forever.

That’s at least what she’s trying to tell herself.

She feels like she _might actually pass out_ when she hears three light knocks coming from her window. It’s windy enough that it could just be some fly away branches, or random debris, or something, right? Something that isn’t here to attack her, or… whatever.

But if someone (or some _thing_ ) were going to attack her, they probably wouldn't knock first.

It’s dark and there might be a rough outline or a shadow coming from the window, and then it’s swinging open and there’s a figure there, and she didn’t know it was possible for her body to feel _more_ panicked, but here she is proving herself wrong.

When that figure stumbles onto Trini’s desk and mutters, _“Fuck,”_ she doesn’t have to wait for them to shut the window back and gracefully continue to stumble _off_ of the desk to realize that it’s Kimberly.

Honestly, that should’ve been her first guess.

Kim straightens up, holds a hand out towards the desk and says, “I’m keeping my promise about not waking anyone up, but I honestly think you might’ve been sabotaging me with that thing.”

She’d find it funny if this were any other situation.

It takes a few more seconds for Kim’s eyes to adjust, but once they do, she notices how terrified Trini looks. So she moves closer to the bed, but doesn’t get close enough to touch it because she’s kind of soaked from the rain. “I tried calling; I wasn’t trying to scare you.”

Just a few more seconds go by before Kim leans down and against the bed--because fuck it, it’ll just have to get a little damp--to get eye level with Trini. She begins to put more emphasis on the breaths she’s taking, and says, “Hey, just breathe with me. Focus on me.”

It takes way too long for her to finally calm down. And when she does, everything hurts. Her chest, her throat, her head, and the entire rest of her body just because she’s so tired.

“Do you wanna lay down now?”

 _Yes_. Trini nods, and then pushes herself back to do so.

But Kimberly stands and hovers awkwardly, trying to decide what she should do. Stay? Leave? Just chill at the desk? Leaving doesn’t seem like a good idea right now, so that desk chair is probably her best bet.

“What are you doing?” Trini asks. She’s lying on her side now, staring at Kim who can’t seem to make a decision. About what, Trini isn’t sure.

“I don’t know. I’m--” _wet,_ is what she was going to say. But thank _god_ she stops herself, because that’s not a road she accidentally wants to go down just yet. “It wouldn’t be very comfortable if I got on your bed. I ran here in the middle of a thunderstorm.”

Well, that can be easily fixed. Trini opens her mouth to respond, but Kim cuts her off.

“Sleeping here is risky enough; I’m not going to add _only in my underwear_ to that.”

Trini nods, and then waits another moment to say, “Just borrow something from my closet.”

The realization that spreads across Kimberly’s face is almost humorous. “ _Oh._ Right. That… that does make sense. Give me a minute.”

She just puts on a large T Shirt and some shorts, so it happens quickly enough that Kim’s sliding onto the bed before Trini can even process that she changed. And Trini’s so tired and ready to get some rest, that she doesn’t think twice about moving closer to her like they’ve done with their previous sleeping arrangements. But once she gets close enough that she can almost be considered lying on top of Kim, she remembers why she had to change in the first place.

“Dude. Your hair is wet.” It's a little less than comfortable, since the side of her face and head are lying on a damp pillowcase, shirt, or hair--it depends on how much she shifts around--but as long as she doesn't have water dripping onto her forehead she should be good.

“Is it? Sorry. Do you want me to go find a hair dryer or something?”

Trini knows she should've been expecting sarcasm, but, to be fair, she can barely remember what day it is. She sighs. “No. I'll get over it.”

She does get over it. After finally settling in the exact place she wants to be, it feels like her whole body falls asleep.(Her whole body, excluding her mind.) There's literally nothing that could make her move from this spot right now. Zord crashes through the ceiling? Oh, well. It's gonna have to wait ‘til morning.

Kimberly is just as comfortable, lying down in sort-of dry clothes, in bed, with her arms semi wrapped around Trini. She could easily fall asleep like this, but she can feel that Trini’s still awake, so she makes herself focus on that instead of drifting off and abandoning her. She'll stay up until sunrise if she has to.

“I missed this.” It's muffled because Trini has turned into her side more and buried her face above Kim’s shoulder, close to her neck, but clear enough that Kim can understand what she's saying.

She assumes that Trini means sharing a bed, and she wholeheartedly agrees. “Yeah, me too.”

There are times that Kimberly can’t get to sleep on her own, either. Last Saturday when Trini was still keeping her distance from everyone, Kim tried going to Jason’s just so she could be around someone. But he wasn’t there. She was close to going to Billy’s because she was almost positive both him _and_ Jason were there, but didn’t want to just barge in or interrupt anything. So she turned around to head towards Zack’s.

She got a text from him halfway there, and after an explanation of why Zack could feel her emotions [and also know that they were coming from _her_ ], he met her back at her house. They talked more in depth about _why_ they were both awake in the middle of the night for an hour, and then fell asleep next to each other on Kimberly’s bed.

It isn’t nightmares that give her the trouble--it’s being alone.

Zack’s terrified of going to sleep because he doesn’t know what he’ll wake up to.

“Kim,” Trini whispers, and Kim wonders how long she’s been spacing out for. “I can’t sleep.”

“You’re exhausted, Trini. I can feel--”

She shakes her head a bit. “I _can’t_ sleep.”

Every time she closes her eyes… She can’t risk another nightmare like that. Not tonight.

Kimberly sighs. “What do I need to do?”

“Nothing. I just… I don’t know why I said anything. If you can get some sleep, then you should. Don’t let me hold you back.”

“No way. I ran across town to be here for you. I was asleep earlier; I’ve got enough energy right now.”

This time Trini sighs. She isn’t sure what she should be asking for. But, if she’s going to be awake, she might as well get something to focus on that _isn’t_ related to her nightmares. “Talk to me? About… anything?”

“Alright...” She pauses. “I had my first therapy session today.”

So, to be honest, _yes_ she was keeping it a secret on purpose. _However_ , she wasn’t going to keep it that way forever. Just this first time. She’d just mention it casually to the group. Like, sometime in the next week she’d say something about going to therapy after training on Thursday, and then just _leave_ like it’s no big deal. Even if they’re _encouraging_ her, she’d like for this to be something she deals with on her own for a while.

Trini tries to lift her head up to look at Kim, but falls back down almost immediately. She doesn’t have the energy for anything beyond talking right now. “Seriously? Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t want you guys asking about it, or trying to give me advice, or… support. I wanted to get through the first one on my own.”

“So how’d it go?”

“Well…” she trails off, unsure how to explain it. “It didn’t. Nothing happened. She tried asking a few questions, but said I didn’t have to say anything if I was uncomfortable. So we sat in silence for an hour, and then I left.”

“Damn. I get that.” The difference for her is that when she directly ignores her parents for an hour, it doesn’t end in her leaving and them getting paid for doing nothing. “Are you going to talk next time?”

Kimberly almost shrugs, but can’t do it successfully with Trini lying on one of her shoulders. “Maybe.”

A _maybe_ is probably better than nothing.

Kim doesn’t think she could make it through another hour of just staring at the clock on the wall, anyway.

“What else?”

Why can’t she come up with something funny (or just _happy_ ) to talk about? Everything that’s coming to Kim’s mind is such a _downer_. Like… It’s time to retire the Hot Topic merch for an hour or two. Things don’t have to be so dark all the time. “I don’t need to bring the mood down any more.”

“No. Talk to me. If you aren’t going to talk to the chick who gets paid for it, you might as well go ahead and spill while I’m half out of it… I need something to focus on.”

Well, if she’s going to _insist_.

“My parents are talking about putting me on antidepressants.”

So apparently her mind wasn’t listening to that, _“Things don’t have to be so dark all the time,”_ pep talk she just gave herself.

“You sound really not into that idea,” Trini says. “They aren’t that bad.”

“I don’t know. Admitting that something’s wrong feels… weird. And they have all those side effects, and there’s so many different kinds, and some won’t even work. I just… I don’t know.” _But_ , if there’s one idea she’s holding onto, it’s that _confirming_ that something’s wrong means she isn’t making it all up. And that’s kind of reassuring.

Trini attempts to nod. “Yeah, but they’re supposed to help. And the side effects aren’t that bad; it just depends on what kind you get.”

Okay, she sounds a little… more informed than Kimberly would’ve guessed. “You sound like you know what you’re talking about…”

“Well, yeah. I’m on ‘em.”

“Wait. What?” That seems like something she should’ve noticed or catched onto. Or one of the other Rangers should have. With the amount of time they spend together, she doesn’t remember ever seeing Trini take anything, mention taking something, or even vaguely allude to it. She’s only a little confused.

“Yeah. Antidepressants. For, like, a year and a half now. They aren’t _only_ used for depression…” Trini trails off instead of outright cutting herself off. She doesn’t know if she should clarify or continue with her explanation. “Um… But, yeah. The worst side effect I had was a decrease in appetite, but that isn’t really common across most… types. That got my mom really paranoid, though. I lost, like, ten pounds over the first few months and she thought I had just stopped eating altogether.”

“But… When do you take them?”

“Night,” Trini says. “It isn’t hard to hide it. I’d apologize for not saying anything, but… I mean, I’m not really sorry about it.”

Kim tries to shake her head again. “No, I get it. You don’t owe us anything.”

“My point is… is your therapist a _therapist_ or a _psychiatrist_?”

Kimberly doesn’t see the relevance in that question, but they _are_ both pretty tired, so she’ll answer it anyway. “I don’t know. What’s the difference?”

It’s really a simple explanation, but Trini isn’t sure if she’s awake enough to _actually_ explain it properly. The whole _who’s qualified to prescribe medication_ thing. “If she’s… Nevermind. Just… If you do get prescribed something, it won’t be the end of the world.”

“Yeah. Okay.” Kimberly’s trying to believe that. To repeat it to herself a few times and get used to thinking it.

It won’t be the end of the world.

It’s supposed to help.

She’s ready to change the subject.

“Also,” she says. “Why the _hell_ didn’t you tell me that you have a desk in front of your window?”

“Uh, I don’t know. It didn’t seem necessary.”

“It _didn’t seem necessary_?” Kim repeats. “I almost vaulted over it and knocked everything you own over. I could’ve really hurt those plants.”

Trini admits--to herself; definitely not out loud--that she should’ve warned Kimberly about the desk. Her climbing through the window _could_ have ended way worse than it actually did.

“You _want_ me to fail, don’t you?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly it.”

Kimberly leaves a good minute of silence between them before finally saying, “I knew it.”

 

\---

 

They _do_ eventually fall asleep. Even if the amount of rest they get is minimal, it’s something, and it’ll have to be enough to get them through the school day.

Trini wakes up to the sensation of someone lightly shaking her by the shoulder, and voices almost chanting for her to, _“Get up, get up, get up, get up.”_ Not one voice; two.

Right. It’s Friday, she has to get up for school, and her brothers are trying to wake her up.

She’s ready to fall right back to sleep, though, so maybe she can get away with skipping another day of--

Wait.

She isn’t in bed alone.

She can still feel Kimberly.

And they didn’t exactly separate or end up on opposite sides of the bed in the middle of the night, so her likelihood of getting out of this situation safely is slowly diminishing. She didn’t set an alarm. But she _remembers_ telling Kim to _make sure_ they had an alarm before they fell asleep. Just in case.

If she set it, it didn’t work.

“That’s her, yeah?” One of her brothers asks. She can’t focus enough to know which one it is. “The girl you’re always texting?”

“Is she pretty? I can’t tell. T’s in the way,” the other one says.

She doesn’t feel so tired anymore.

“ _Fuck._ ” Trini sits up, eyes wide, and turns to Kimberly to get her up too. “Kim, you gotta get up. Like, now.”

“Swear jar.”

Trini turns to her brothers then, and holds her hands out to try and signal for them to slow down and stop. “Please, _please_ , don’t say anything to Mom about this. Or Dad, either. But _especially_ Mom.”

Jackson tries looking around her at Kim again. “How did she even get in here?”

Kimberly is slowly starting to wake up now, but when she hears a voice that _isn’t Trini’s_ , she kind of jolts up in a panic. Then she begins to look down at herself and feel around the sheets for her phone because _it's time to fucking run_ . Her phone and last night's clothes aren't _essential_ , but if she can grab them and _go_ , that'd be great. She mumbles, almost to herself but loud enough for the others to hear, “I thought I set an alarm?”

Trini thought she set an alarm, too.

“The one time I _actually_ have my sound off. Of course.” She still can’t find it.

Jackson turns back to Trini. “We won’t tell them, T. You have our backs all the time, so we’ve got yours.”

“But you owe us,” Dante adds.

At this point, Trini’s ready to give them whatever they ask for. This isn’t a situation she’s willing to play around with. Her brothers telling their mother that they found some girl in Trini’s bed with her on a random Friday morning? Absolutely not. There’s no talking herself out of that one. “Fine. I owe you--”

They both turn their attention back to Kimberly.

“So what’s your name?”

“Did you climb in through the window?”

“Do you do this a lot?”

“Are you Trini’s _girlfriend?_ ”

“Duh. Why else would she sneak in? If they were friends, she wouldn’t sneak in to spend the night. And they were cuddling.”

“You can cuddle with people without dating them, _doofus_.”

“Dante. It’s _Trini_.”

“Good point…”

“Did you say her name was Kim?”

This isn't helping with Trini’s inability to calm down at all. She needs everyone out of her room, and the entire day to herself so she can sleep. Actually, scratch that; Kim can stay. “Yes. Leave Kim alone. She has to go.”

Kimberly is almost falling off of the bed, still looking for her phone. _How_ could she have already lost it? She’s only been there for a few hours, and has been in, like, three spots in the entire room. It shouldn’t be that far. “Trini, where’s my phone?”

“Why would I know?”

“Because it’s _your_ room.”

That doesn’t make any sense, whatsoever. “But it’s _your_ phone.”

Kimberly doesn't care about what makes sense. She cares about finding her phone and getting out of here before anything worse can happen.

All four of them hear the footsteps coming up the stairs at the same time. Dante and Jackson look at each other, and Trini shoots a look at the equally as panicked Kim to get her to _hide_. She drops and rolls under the bed at the last minute.

The door swings open after what was supposed to be a knock [it only lasted a second, and barely made much of a noise] and their mom stands in the doorway.

“ _What_ is going on up here?”

That's a good question. Trini isn't even entirely sure if she knows the answer to it.

What caught their mother’s attention had to have been Jackson and Dante jumping around the room and doing _nothing_ to lower their voices.

“We’re trying to get T up.”

“My alarm didn’t go off,” Trini adds.

Their mother stares for a moment, not entirely sure she believes them. There isn’t any reason she _shouldn’t_ , but it’s one of those parental _feelings._ “Okay, well… Make sure you get up. You don’t need to miss anymore school.”

“Right.”

“Make sure you boys are ready, too.”

The boys almost simultaneously say, “Ugh. We _know_.”

“And Trini, please grab something to eat before you leave. Stop skipping breakfast.”

Trini nods, and the three of them watch for the door to close. They wait until the sound of footsteps have fully descended the stairs.

Kimberly slowly lifts herself up, her knees still on the floor and her arms resting on the bed. “Whoa.”

When Trini turns back to look at her, she sees that Kim’s phone is now in her hand. It must’ve fallen onto the floor some time in the middle of the night. She has a lot that she wants to say to Kimberly--about last night, about this morning, about a lot of things--but that isn’t something she can comfortably do around her brothers. “Uh… Thanks for coming over.”

“Don’t mention it. Seriously.” Kimberly smiles, turning back to the floor to gather up her clothes and shoes. She glances up a couple of times to look at the boys. “Um… It was nice to meet you guys.”

“But we didn’t meet,” Jackson says, and Dante nods.

“We found you in our sister’s bed, and now you’re leaving through the window. You don’t even know our _names_.”

Kim goes a bit red at the first part of that, but shakes her head. “Your sister mentions you enough for me to know your names. But if you don’t believe me, I guess I’ll just have to come by again later and actually introduce myself.”

They’re both really into that idea.

“You don’t have to do that,” Trini says.

Kimberly shakes her head again, now with all of her things in her hands. “Shut up.”

“Yeah, I like her. She’s cool,” Dante whispers to Jackson, but it isn’t much of an actual whisper. It’s still pretty audible.

Jackson tilts his head to the side once Kimberly starts to climb onto Trini’s desk. “T, are those your clothes?”

Kimberly freezes for a whole second, and then quickly says, “Uh. I’ll see you guys later. Bye,” before she’s out of the window, leaving Trini and her brothers by themselves.

“It was raining last night. She was borrowing pajamas.”

“She walked here in the rain?” Dante asks. “Is that what it’s like to have a girlfriend? ‘Cause if it is, I don’t want one unless _she’s_ walking through the rain for _me_. I don’t like rain.”

“Why is _anyone_ walking through the rain? What’s the point?” Jackson asks, and Trini’s completely lost in the conversation.

“I don’t know. To prove she loves me? That’s probably why Kim did it for T.”

“Speaking of,” Trini says, grabbing both of their attention. “How did you guys _not_ know her name if you saw me texting her all the time?”

The boys looks at each other, and Jackson says, “We just high-fived when we realized it was a girl. Remembering her name wasn’t a part of the plan.”

That doesn’t make much sense to her, but she could just be tired. Trini throws the blanket to the side and pushes herself off of the bed. There’s one more thing she needs to clear up with them. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

“She told you to shut up, and you didn’t even care.”

Trini pauses. “I don't _think_ she's my girlfriend. Yet.”

“She didn't say she wasn't when we asked earlier.”

That's true. But Kim was half asleep, a little distracted, and in a rush. It's possible she didn't even hear them. “She's… I'm… it's complicated.”

It isn't supposed to be. They wanted to keep things from getting stressful--not labeling it was supposed to be less pressure. But it's barely been two days and all _that's_ done is confuse Trini even more.

 

\---

 

**Ranger Danger**

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | princess.hart | trini]**

**goldenboi:** Is someone embarrassed? And also a little scared or panicked or smth?

 **princess.hart:** Yeah, that was me. Sorry. I'm good now.

 **trini:** thought it was me, tbh

 **trini:** guess it was both of us

 **princess.hart:** Probably. I thought it felt kind of intense. Does this stuff amplify when two of us are feeling the same thing?

 **goldenboi:** I don't know, but I think that would make sense.

 **lil z:** ^^someone gonna ask WHY they're both flipping out??

 **princess.hart:** Trini’s brothers caught us in bed together

 **lil z:** whAT

 **goldenboi:** Whoa

 **trini:** no

 **trini:** that's not what she meant

 **trini:** Jesus, Kim, u need to work on how u word things when u text ppl

 **princess.hart:** Sorry. I slept over at Trini’s, my alarm didn't go off, and her brothers found us in her bed SLEEPING and fully clothed

 **princess.hart:** Do you rlly think I'd say smth like that so casually in our group chat??

 **lil z:** nO that's why I was shook

 **goldenboi:** Okay, so moving on from that. I think given the resurgence in Putty activity we should put any official band stuff or potential personal issues on the back burner and schedule some more uniform training sessions. After class we should ask Zordon if it means anything.

 **trini:** potential personal issues

 **trini:** u can call me out by name dude, I get it

 **lil z:** sounds a+ boss man

 **princess.hart:** Where is Billy??

 **lil z:** he doesn’t usually check his phone once he starts getting dressed and stuff. he’ll prob respond when he gets to class

 **princess.hart:** K, cool. Continue.

 **goldenboi:** We should also mention that energy that we’re feeling.

 **princess.hart:** Wait, you guys are feeling that too?

 **trini:** what? What are you feeling?

 **lil z:** it’s like a low buzz.. Like vibrating.. It just feels like DANGER

 **trini:** why am i out of the loop

 **goldenboi:** I don’t know. These things work differently for each of us sometimes. After class we’ll have training, and then talk to wall dad. Sound good?

 **princess.hart:** I can’t call him that anymore. Zack ruined it for me.

 **lil z:** ur welcome

 **princess.hart:** But, yeah, that sounds fine.

**lil z** changed the group name to **Kimberly is No Fun**

**princess.hart:** I’m fun

 **lil z:** that’s very convincing

**princess.hart** changed the group name to **Zack is Overreacting**

**lil z:** excuse you

**princess.hart** changed the group name to **Zack is Overreacting (And Also A Loser)**

**lil z:** real mature, kimberly ann, real mature…

 **princess.hart:** Oh, we’re talking about being mature now?

 **goldenboi:** Guys. Chill out.

**trini** changed the group name to **Rainbow Rangers**

**trini:** you’re both children

 **princess.hart:** Aw, that name’s cute.

 **lil z:** i approve of this change

 ****lil z:**** go gO RAINBOW RANGERS

 

**\---**

 

Luckily, Zack handed his empty locker over to girls without much convincing. The only downside to that is how careful they’ll have to be when they use it. Trini doesn’t think she’ll be able to make it very long--she gives herself a week before she gives up. If they’re going to go after a _third locker,_ she’ll learn to live with it. By this point there isn’t much more that it could do except be occasionally annoying.

Kimberly is _kind of_ on the same page as Trini, but she’s already pretty pissed that it’s gotten this far. After they leave the area that Zack’s locker is in, she tells Trini, “You know what? I’m just gonna go to all of my teachers and ask if I can keep my stuff in their rooms. Watch them say _‘no’_ to the girl who knocked a guy’s tooth out, broke another guy’s nose, and tore a locker door off of the wall.” Then she pauses, and adds, “I don’t know why I’m saying that like it’s a good thing. Why do I keep doing this stuff?”

“You’re kind of terrifying, you know that?” Trini says, glancing to the side.

“Yeah. I’ve got issues.” She nods. “You’re pretty intimidating, too.”

Trini shakes her head. “Sure, but you’re scarier. You’ve got that permanent cheer smile and radiate _pretty_ and _soft_ and _sweet._ But if someone makes the wrong move, you could literally break their bones with your bare hands. If you look at me, straight away you’re hit with _resting bitch face_ and a glare that could kill you where you stand. You know what you’re gonna get when you come at me. But _you_ , Princess… That’s a different story.”

Kimberly almost stops walking in the middle of the hallway, but she makes herself keep moving. She knew that there was something intimidating about being a cheerleader, and that _obviously_ she’s gotten herself a bit of a reputation since she got kicked off the squad, but hearing it explained like that is… it feels different to think of it that way.

She keeps thinking about it even after breaking away from Trini to get to her first period class.

She brings it up again at lunch.

“So people are scared of me now?”

Zack chuckles, shaking his head at the food in front of him. “I can see why.”

Trini kicks him from her side of the table, and he responds with a half yelp, half whimper. She _could_ say that he’s right, because he is, but she already had this conversation with Kim earlier.

“Not everyone is scared of you,” Jason says, and Billy quickly nods along.

“Yeah, I know a lot of people who love you for breaking that guy’s nose! He would pick on them, and he hasn't been doing it this past week. You’re their hero.”

Kimberly thinks that might be a bit of a stretch.

“The only people you went after were Ty and that Brad guy. And it isn’t like they didn’t deserve it,” Trini adds.

Jason nods. “I think the only people who would really be scared of you would be from your class because they actually _saw_ what happened.”

Zack eyes Trini for a moment before speaking up again. “There’s dozens of rumors going around, Kim. To most people you’re just badass.”

They’re probably right. Especially if Zack’s trying to be sincere right now. She’s just overreacting.

Like she always does.

 

\---

 

“Yo! Big Z!” Zack shouts as they walk in from the Pit, and Zordon stares back completely unamused.

Jason keeps walking farther into the room, passing in front of the others and staring up at the wall. “Why are Putties still popping up in the middle of town? We thought that was supposed to be over with already.”

“Mm… It’s probably more leftover magic,” Zordon says simply. “Rita accumulated a lot of power while she was here, even in such a short amount of time.”

“That seems like it’s too simple of an answer,” Kimberly says, crossing her arms over her chest.

Jason nods. “We feel like something’s coming.”

“Yeah, that spidey-sense.” Zack smiles, lightly hitting Trini on her shoulder. She stares at him, and then turns back unfazed.

“What does that mean? Spidey-sense?” Zordon asks, and Zack almost busts out laughing.

Billy's about to start explaining _Spider-Man_ and make connections with him being a superhero just like the Rangers, but stops when he sees that Jason's already opening his mouth to clarify.

“He means we can _feel_ it.”

“Alright. You shouldn’t ignore your instincts. We don’t have enough information to say what it might be beyond Rita, but you should keep your guard up. Be ready for another attack, and keep to your training.”

Okay, so he didn't really have the answers they were looking for, but it didn't hurt to ask.

“So you're saying Rita’s still relevant?” Trini asks, taking a step forward. “Even though we slapped her out of the atmosphere? You told us we didn't have to worry about her anymore, and then it was that she left behind some excess magic, and now you don't know what could be going on unless it has to do with her. You need to stick to one story; either she's gone or she isn't.”

The others turn to look at her, but she keeps staring up at the wall.

“She is gone. Physically, her body doesn't stand much chance of returning to Earth. However--”

Trini cuts him off, and the more she says, the more they start to worry about her. “No, there is no _however_. If she can still hurt us through magic or mental links or whatever the hell you're talking about, then she isn't gone. I don't care what happened to her body if the rest of her didn't disappear with it.”

“Trini, this isn't just new for us. It's new for him, too. We don't have all the answers,” Jason says calmly.

“Then don't make promises you can't keep. This isn't something to gamble with. If she isn't _gone_ , we're in danger.”

Billy looks back and forth at everyone, and then says, “She's right. Rita's hurt us more than once; if she can come back or exist through someone else, like possession, then we need to acknowledge that as a possibility. We _should_ have acknowledged it before now.”

There's a beat of silence.

“Okay, we'll talk about it--about _this_ \--some more later. Right now I think it's time for us to go,” Jason says, and that's their cue to leave.

Trini isn't sure about everyone else, but she knows she's _way_ more tense now than she was when they finished training.

None of them say anything until they’ve reached the top of the cliffs again, and that’s when Kimberly slows her pace down to fall in line with Trini. The boys keep walking, though, now talking about if they should have another bonfire soon.

“Hey, are you good?”

Trini shrugs. She isn’t _good_ , but she could be worse. Just thinking about Rita again, and the possibility of her coming back--physically or not--is enough to shake them _all_ up. “I’m… you know.”

“Do you want me to come over again tonight?” This morning was… unexpected and _very close_ to being a disaster, but now Kimberly knows to be more careful. Like, by either not falling asleep or making sure they have an alarm that’ll actually go off.

Trini wants to say _yes_ , because she _does_ want Kimberly to come over again. But trying that again after this morning? That’d really be pushing her luck. “I do, but… It’s too risky right now. My brothers won’t say anything, but I think I should hold off on sneaking people in for a day or two.

Kimberly nods. “Okay. But if it gets like last night, or worse, just call or FaceTime me, and I’ll stay up with you.”

She says it so casually, but, honestly, it means the world to Trini. “Yeah, okay.”

“Hey, guys!” Zack calls out, walking backwards to look at the girls. “Bonfire tomorrow night? Be there or be square!”

 

\---

 

**Black and Yellow**

**[lil z | trini]**

**lil z:** ok t, you never told me what went down w/ kim

 **lil z:** like i get that ur chill.. obvi since u can sleep in the same bed and are TALKING to e/o now. But what happened?? explain pls

 **trini:** we figured things out

 **lil z:** so??? ur a thing now?

 **trini:** not exactly. We aren’t doing labels rn

 **lil z:** what the hell does that mean?

 **trini:** it means we don’t want to rush into anything

 **lil z:** but did u kiss?? pls tell me u kissed??

 **trini:** no

 **lil z:** ????

 **lil z:** trini have i taught u nothing?

 **trini:** you haven’t taught me anything. What are you talking about?

 **lil z:** *disappointed sigh*

 **lil z:** so what r u even doing????????????

 **trini:** I’m telling u to shut up and mind ur own business

 **lil z:** ur just salty bc i’m right. U don’t know what ur doing rn either

 

 **trini** changed their name to **confusedgay :/**

 

 **lil z:** i knew it

 **lil z:** how did u talk but still not TALK

 **confusedgay :/:** I think I just need to make a move? Cause we said whatever happens would happen…?

 **lil z:** yes, that sounds good

 **lil z:** go for it t

 **lil z:** give her the best damn kiss of her entire life

 **confusedgay :/:** no pressure or anything…

 **lil z:** u might even say it’s time for a

 **lil z:** heart to hart

 **confusedgay :/:** how long have u been waiting to make that pun?

 **lil z:** a v long time

 **lil z:** pls appreciate it

 

 **confusedgay :/** changed their name to **trini//**

 

 **lil z:** girl r u gonna stick w/ a name???

 **lil z:** what’s up w/ those slashes?

 **trini//:** I wanted to add some flair so it wouldn’t just be my name

 **lil z:** ...aight

 **trini//:** wbu? I haven’t meddled in ur love life recently

 **lil z:** don’t worry abt that, i know what i’m doin

 **trini//:** what are u doing

 **lil z:** browsing

 **trini//:** bro

 **lil z:** i’m being patient. I might not even have a chance,, but if i do i’ll let u know

 **trini//:** a chance with who?

 **lil z:** hahahahahaha

 **lil z:** oh t

 **lil z:** yeah, i’m not telling u

 **trini//:** ur an ass

 

\---

 

**Original Detention Squad**

**[billyc | goldenboi | princess.hart]**

**goldenboi:** Hey, Kim? What exactly is going on w/ you and Trini now?

 **princess.hart:** Why?

 **goldenboi:** Bc I don’t want to assume smth is going on w/ u two and say the wrong thing to upset u guys

 **princess.hart:** We talked things out

 **goldenboi:** So you told her how u feel

 **princess.hart:** Yep

 **princess.hart:** But we aren’t doing anything about it officially

 **goldenboi:** That sounds confusing. And complicated.

 **princess.hart:** It’s only complicated if we make it complicated

 **goldenboi:** It’s like you got together, but you didn’t, so there’s still going to be tension

 **billyc:** Are we going to be sitting through more awkward lunches? Those aren’t fun :(

 **princess.hart:** No, B, we’re good w/ each other. It’s like… we didn’t want pressure. So we can be flirty or more tactile and close

 **princess.hart:** We just aren’t naming it, or making it official, or telling anyone

 **goldenboi:** Or doing anything about it at all?

 **goldenboi:** So, like, you’re “not dating” but you are, but you aren’t

 **princess.hart:** Exactly

 **billyc:** That doesn’t make sense, Kim

 **goldenboi:** Is that how Trini sees it?

 **princess.hart:** We had to come to an agreement together, Jace

 **goldenboi:** But did you say all of that, exactly how you told us, out loud to her?

 **princess.hart:** I might need to talk to her again…

 **goldenboi:** Yeah, I think you should do that.

 

\---

 

When they get together for their Saturday night bonfire, they mess around for about an hour to loosen up. If they’re about to get serious and talk about their feelings, they need a bit of a break to have some fun first. They move out of that when Billy asks Zack how is mom is doing, and they all settle in their seats, bracing themselves for the potentially heavy talking points.

Zack nods slowly, looking down at the fire, and then back up at everyone else. “She’s about the same. Still scolding me to go to school, so that’s consistent...” He gives them a sad smile.

“Hey, Z?” Jason says. “You don’t have to answer, but… Why were you so into us doing that band thing?”

He looks down again and shrugs. “It seemed like fun, you know? When I need to focus on something outside of the stress from work, school, my mom, and training… Thinking about playing the bass with you guys is a lot more enjoyable. It’s something I can work on. I can’t think about nothing, or that stressful stuff will take over. So it keeps me busy when my mind stops being busy… I know you guys think it’s stupid… Except B. You have just as much fun with it as I do. But thanks for putting up with me and my dumb ideas. Y’all are the best.”

“It isn’t stupid,” Trini says. “You could be wanting us to get into something _way_ worse.”

“Excuse me, who do you think I am?” Zack asks, with a bit more pep in his tone.

“Zack Taylor: Bad Idea Guy.”

He thinks that over and then nods. “Okay, that’s fair.” Then he turns to Jason. “But that’s enough about me, guys. I don’t have much else to talk about. What about you, big guy?”

“Mm… Nothing much. Just trying to make sure I’m the leader you guys need.”

“What?” Zack asks. “Nope. No. Don’t do that, Red. You know we love you. We’re a team. If one of us screws up, we all screw up. What else is up?”

Jason looks a bit hesitant, but he speaks up anyway. “My dad’s out a lot more often now. So that’s… I mean, he isn’t around to be on my back all the time, but it still kind of sucks that he’s… you know. Distancing himself. We still miss him when he isn’t there.”

The others nod in acknowledgment. It doesn’t seem like there’s a good response to that other than, _“We’re here for you, dude.”_ That’s gotten to be an unspoken statement between them.

“And Pearl really wants you guys back over for another movie night. She said she found a way to watch all of the _Land Before Time_ movies that were between the ones on Netflix.”

“She did _what?_ ” Zack asks with wide eyes. “I’m coming over to your house, Jason.”

Billy nods happily, clapping his hands. “Me too.”

“Yeah, you boys have fun with that,” Kimberly says.

Zack is absolutely positive that they _will_ have fun with that, even if the girls aren’t with them. _Especially_ if they aren’t with them. They don’t understand the greatness of _The Land Before Time._ They’d only drag the boys down.

“Is there anything you want to talk about, Billy?” Jason asks.

Billy takes a couple of minutes to think about it, and then says, “Oh, yeah! I finished up with the project I was working on. Trini and Jason already know what it is, but it’s these long, skinny tubes that I transferred material from lava lamps into. I got them to emit glow similar to how we looked when we first jumped off of the cliff and landed in the water. I made one in each of your colors.”

“Wait, is there actually a _black_ lava lamp?” Zack leans forward, waiting for an answer.

“Yes, actually! But it does have a bit of a purple undertone to it.”

Kimberly smiles. “That’s awesome. What are you gonna do with them?”

“I don’t know yet. I want you guys to come over and see them, and then you can help me decide.”

“That is so _rad_ , Blue.” Zack smiles too.

“Yep. That’s it.” Billy nods. “That’s all I have to talk about. Nothing else.”

Jason almost face palms, and Trini and Kimberly share a look.

“Right. What about you, Crazy Girl? You’ve had an eventful week,” Zack says, looking totally unbothered by Billy’s… unusual response.

“Um… Well you know how it is.” Trini shrugs.

Zack shakes his head. “No, we don’t. That’s why we’re doing this thing.”

“ _Okay…_ My parents are dealing… My mom’s still on edge, but I guess she’s trying. And my brothers are being really cool about everything. They already _knew_ before I told them, so that was…”

“How did they know?” Billy asks, and Trini’s a little less than excited to answer.

“Uh…”

Kimberly nods from her spot right next to her, bumping their shoulders together. “Yeah, you never told me that part.”

Trini laughs, a bit awkwardly. “Um… Well…”

“Come on, T. It can’t be _that_ embarrassing,” Zack says, but Trini’s pretty sure he’s hoping that it _isn’t_ as tame as she wants it to be.

She clears her throat and _hopes_ that it’s too dark out to see that she’s blushing. “They said they, uh… They saw me texting a lot, and thought it was weird when I was smiling so much. So they got sneaky to see what was going on with my phone, and…”

“Go on…” Zack’s grinning like he knows _exactly_ where this is going.

“They saw me texting Kim all the time, and… they drew their own conclusions.”

Zack’s laughing before she finishes her sentence, and Kimberly isn’t too far behind him.

“Oh my god, T…”

Trini doesn’t look at Kim, barely wants to look at anyone else, so she just shakes her head and says, “Stop.”

“I make you that happy?” Kim asks.

“You won’t anymore if you keep talking about this.”

Kimberly leans into Trini’s side more instead of pushing or accidentally upsetting her.

“I’m so happy right now, guys,” Zack says, still sort of laughing.

“Shut up.”

“You’re so gay for Kim, even your _brothers_ could tell. Oh my god, this is amazing.”

“Come on, T. It isn’t that bad.”

Trini still doesn’t let herself look at Kimberly’s smiling face because she knows that, once she does, she’ll just melt and then Zack will have more material to tease her with.

“Hey, Kim,” Jason calls out. “You wanna tell Trini what _you_ asked Zordon the other day?”

Kimberly’s smile immediately falls, and she’s staring at Jason with wide eyes. “Um, no. Why would I?”

Trini, however, is very interested in the change of conversation. “What did you ask Zordon?”

“Nothing important. Jason’s being a jerk,” Kim says, staring directly at Jason. “And, honestly, I can’t really remember.”

“Oh, well I remember, Kimberly,” Billy says. “You asked Zordon if connections were different when Rangers were romantically involved, and he asked what you meant because relationships work differently in his culture. Then he said you probably meant sexual relationships. You stopped him when he tried to go into detail and describe how things worked sexually between his team or how it'd work with us, and he asked if you were speaking hypothetically or if you were already engaging in a relationship like that with another Ranger, and then you got really flustered. But he said that if you bond with another Ranger more, whether that means it’s a romantic or sexual or platonic relationship or not, you'll have a stronger connection.”

“Thanks, B…”

Trini raises her eyebrows and looks at Kim. “Are you telling me you basically got a _sex talk_ from _Zordon_? Because you had a question about your relationship… with me?”

“Uh… Yes?”

“This is the best day of my life,” Zack says, smiling. “It keeps getting better… Thank you.”

“Did you _say_ you were talking about me?”

Kimberly shakes her head. “ _God_ , no.”

“Then Zack’s right. That’s hilarious.”

“Okay, how about you just get back to where you left off?”

Trini isn’t too reluctant to start talking about herself again, but she does take her time to get her thoughts together. “My mom asked me how the locker thing was going this morning, so I told her that Kim took it down because the school couldn’t keep up with the vandals, and they didn’t plan on doing anything else to make up for it. She looked conflicted.”

“Right. Because I’ve got your back, but I’m also a delinquent,” Kimberly says, and Trini nods.

“Yeah, probably. That’s… That’s it for now. I think I just need to wait for them to get used to the idea, and then I’ll… I don’t know. I’ll tell you guys what happens as soon as it does.”

Zack throws a stick into the fire, and motions to the girls. “That means it’s your turn, Kimmy.”

“Oh, um…”

“We aren’t skipping you again, homegirl.”

“No, I know. I’m just…” Kimberly shakes her head and sighs. “I started therapy two days ago.”

“What?”

They aren’t surprised that it’s something she’s doing; they’re just surprised that she hasn’t said anything before now.

“Yeah. I didn’t talk about anything, but I guess I have to next week. I didn’t say anything to you guys because I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.”

“It’s okay, Kim. We’ve got your back,” Jason says. “It might be good to talk to someone who isn’t… a Ranger.”

Trini looks at him. “You mean a professional?”

“Yeah. That.”

“We should _all_ probably talk to a professional…” she mutters, eyes down at her hands as she breaks apart a twig.

“How are things going with your parents?”

Kimberly shrugs. “I don’t know. They’re… there. Pissed that I keep getting in more trouble, but… They think this therapy thing is gonna help, so… I don’t know.”

“It might. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it,” Jason says.

“It’s getting late, and I’m tired, guys… I think we should probably call it a night,” Kimberly says, and the others nod.

They all go their separate ways, and Trini hopes that her disappointment isn’t strong enough for one of the others to feel. She really wishes she could ask Kimberly to come over, or have the courage to sneak out and go over to _her_ place instead. But she doesn’t.

 

\---

 

It’s around midday Sunday when Trini _finally_ feels that weird buzzing sensation that the others have been feeling for the past week or two. And they were right--she can only describe it as _danger_ . She doubted herself at first, because she wasn’t sure if that’s actually what it was, but when Jason sends them all a text that just says, _“GUYS???”_ she's a lot more confident in her assumption.

Everyone else is pretty much responding with, _“I know!!!”_ and Billy adds that they need to get into town because there are more Putties wrecking everything. They have no idea _why_ it’s happening, but they’re ready to stop it.

They don't stop to get the Zords. Partially because they aren't sure if they’ll have enough time, and also because it doesn't seem like it’ll be that big of a fight. Jason’s hoping it was the right call.

They're mid fight when Trini punches out the two Putties that had simultaneously lunged at her, and she sees something out of the corner of her eye that catches her attention. It was just a quick movement, so it was probably nothing. But she stops long enough to see it again, and this time she knows _it wasn’t nothing_ . It doesn’t make _sense_ , but she _saw it_ . And she’s frozen where she stands, trying to figure out _how_ it could be possible, but she isn’t coming up with anything. Isn’t _doing_ anything.

She’s gone blank.

Completely still. Vulnerable.

In the middle of a battle.

All because she saw a quick flash of green.


	12. This Is So Not Morphinominal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I totally meant to update last week... Sorry guys  
> Idk if I should blame my attention span or poor time management skills, BUT it's here now

It doesn't make sense.

Rita’s gone. She has to be gone. They made sure of it. Trini has to be hallucinating again. Lately she _has_ been getting more sleep, but it still must not be enough. She saw the shape of a person, the color green, and armor. It was _definitely_ Ranger armor.

But _that armor_ was launched into space.

And it looked _real_. The other hallucinations she’s had before never felt like that.

Zordon said that the chances of Rita physically returning were… He said she didn’t stand _much_ chance of returning. He didn’t say it was impossible.

Zordon _specifically_ didn’t say it was impossible.

Trini’s having a much harder time breathing now.

She can sort of make out someone shouting her name. It could be multiple people; she isn’t sure. But she isn’t responding to it. They’re yelling at her, and she’s standing in the middle of the street, frozen, and currently staring at nothing. She isn’t even fully aware that she’s in the middle of a fight, or that she’s zoning out. And then Billy’s standing in front of her, saying something. Shouting something. Her name, maybe. He might be telling her to move.

Trini takes a half step backwards, starts to process that she’s supposed to be focussing. She still sounds out of it when she says, “What?”

“Trini, we’re in the middle of a fight! We need you!”

They need her…

They…

“Guys, I don’t think we’ll be able to snap her out of it right now. We might need to get her somewhere safe and take care of this on our own,” Jason says, punching out one of the remaining Putties.

Kimberly glances behind herself at the others, and then brings her focus back to the fight. “We can’t just leave her like that, Jace.”

“We don’t have much of a choice.”

Zack pauses for a moment. “What the hell? Did you guys see that?”

“That…” Jason trails off. “Was that green armor?”

“Sure looked like it. I’m guessing that’s what spooked, T.”

“Where’d it go?”

“I don’t know, Red, I’m a little busy here.”

“Billy!” Kimberly calls out. “Can you try to get Trini to move over there? Down the road where it looks clear?”

Billy’s a bit reluctant, but he still nods. “Yeah… What did you guys say about green armor?”

“There’s someone in a green suit,” Zack says. “Are you okay, B?”

There’s a pause, and then Billy nods again. “Yeah, I’m… I’m good.”

It doesn’t take them much longer to clear everything out. Trini might not be there to help, but her absence only makes them want to get done quicker. They’re still on edge once all of the Putties are gone; as if they haven’t finished and something else is still coming. But nothing does. That green figure vanished about as fast as it appeared, and they aren’t sure if they need to go looking for it, or… They don’t know what to do about it. But getting back to Trini is the priority.

Kimberly attempts to get Trini’s attention as soon as the four of them get to where she’s still standing and staring at the ground. She grabs Trini’s forearms to steady her and says her name, asks if she’s okay, says she needs to come back to them. She never gets a response.

Kimberly feels a bit of a vibration and looks down to see Trini’s armor slowly melting away from her hands.

“Trini, stop. We’re still out in the open.” She tries to say it calmly. Panicking or yelling again would probably only make things worse.

“What?” Trini looks down at her hands, and she panics, causing the armor to melt away down past her wrists.

Zack gestures at her. “Just… Morph it back on, dude.”

She tries to do just that, but it doesn’t work.

“Come on, we need to get back to the ship…” Jason says, his focus not entirely there either.

The entire walk back to the ship, Trini’s staring at her hands, focussing on not losing any more of her armor while they’re still above ground. The others have to guide her in the right direction a couple of times, alternating between worry and confusion. When they finally jump off of the cliff, Trini loses her armor completely before she even hits the water.

She’s staring at her hands again after the fall into the caves, so Zack asks if she’s okay. She nods, looks up, and says, “I’m… fine. Come on; we need to keep moving.”

Being soaked in water isn’t doing much to calm her down, so she stays in the back while the others talk to Zordon. Billy hangs back, too. He’s also pretty shaken up from the Rita-might-be-back and being-submerged-in-water combination.

“Are you okay, Billy?” She asks in a low voice so only he can hear.

Billy turns to her, and seems to think about it while wringing his hands. “Um. No. Are you okay?”

She shakes her head.

They both try to tune back into the conversation.

“Did you take her coin? Before you banished her out of the atmosphere?” Zordon asks.

Jason shakes his head, slightly annoyed because _Zordon never told them they’d need to do that_. “No. We didn’t.”

“That must be it, then. The coin has probably found a new Ranger. It’s possible that there could be some remaining energy in the coin, as well. Rita altered its usage to suit herself, so any remains of that dark magic could manifest in this new Green Ranger.”

“I’m getting _really_ tired of all this _remaining energy_ bullshit,” Kimberly says, shaking her head.

“Kim,” Jason starts to say, but he isn’t really committed to it. To be honest, he doesn’t even _want_ to stop her.

“No, I’m serious.” She turns to Zordon. “When we became Rangers, you told us we needed to defeat Rita, and that was it. You didn’t say we’d need to do all of this; get rid of her body, take the coin, cleanse the fucking ground she walked on, or exorcise bad energy from everything she touched. You didn’t _prepare us_ for _anything_ . You just threw us in the Pit and made us beat the hell out of each other. And even _now_ you still aren’t telling us everything. Trini could’ve been hurt out there because we weren’t prepared for something like this to happen.”

“I didn’t know what would happen. I can tell you about being Rangers, but this isn’t something I’ve experienced before,” Zordon says.

“But every time we come to you with questions about this stuff, you somehow have an answer for us. Right. That makes sense.”

Jason reaches out to put a hand on her shoulder. “I agree with you, Kim. But this isn’t getting us anywhere. Zordon… How do we find out who the new Ranger is, and how do we get the bad energy out of them?”

“I don’t know.”

Kimberly turns around and takes a few steps closer to the exit because normally her solution to this kind of situation would be to punch Zordon. But, considering he’s a giant entity stuck in a wall, she isn’t sure if it’d really be effective. She’s better off not engaging anymore.

“We should probably just look for someone super strong who wears a lot of green.” Zack shrugs.

Jason glances down at his red t-shirt. “We really do wear our colors a lot, don’t we?”

Zack nods.

Now that Trini has had time to reflect on what happened, she can’t get past how she totally blanked out there on the field. It was reckless. Dangerous. They don’t try to ask if she’s okay again until they’re out of the ship, and when they do, she absentmindedly nods.

“Guys, I can’t do that again. If we had been in a bigger fight… I didn’t have your backs _at all_.”

“You don’t have to worry about us, T,” Zack says. “ _We’re_ worried about _you_.”

She sighs, unable to find a better response.

Jason scratches his head, trying to think up a way to help. “Do we need to… find a way to help you cope?”

“No. I was just… surprised. I wasn’t expecting it, but now I _know_ there might be someone out there. I’m good.”

It isn’t very convincing.

But for now, they aren’t going to question her.

 

\---

 

**Ahhhhh @overwhoa**

Are we sure the "power rangers" aren’t causing all of this destruction? Just a thought.

**Pizza Pls @bipride_wonthide**

_Replying to @overwhoa_

well, they saved my life from one of those rock monsters, so i don’t rlly care

 

**Art Ho™ @EmFromArt7**

[ _attachment: video_ ] Hey, what the hell was up w yellow out there? Down in the corner…? @PwrRangers

**Pizza Pls @bipride_wonthide**

_Replying to @EmFromArt7_

And blue runs to get her

**Black Ranger @pugs88**

_Replying to EmFromArt7_

it looks like she’s in shock

**Ya Boy #16 @bballtiger16**

_Replying to @pugs88_

But why? @PwrRangers don’t you guys specialize in fighting these things?

 

**Power Rangers (Fans) @powerrangers**

_Replying to @overwhoa_

I’m just glad they didn’t wreck the pending Krispy Kreme renovations --H

**Art Ho™ @EmFromArt7**

_Replying to @powerrangers_

I feel u bro, Ernie’s place has great doughnuts, but it just… isn’t the same

 

\---

 

Trini doesn’t make it very far into her house before her brothers are running up and hugging her, both talking at once. Her parents appear soon after, expressions a combination of worry and relief. It’s a little overwhelming.

“Why are you always out when the town is being attacked?” Her mother asks. “You need to be at home with us. Where it’s _safe_.”

Her mother and father both walk forward to wrap their arms around Trini and her brothers. It’s a giant group hug, and it doesn’t really happen all that often--has probably only happened twice before in her entire life--so she doesn’t know what to do. “Sorry; I just got caught up out there. It wasn’t on purpose.”

“At least answer your phone, Trini. We were worried,” Her father says.

They don’t let up on the hug.

It gets awkward really quickly.

“Hey, guys, I, uh… I’m glad we’re all okay,” she says. “But can I get some space now?”

She does spend a few more minutes with them after they back off, just because things _are_ tense, and it’s been a stressful day for all of them. She’s able to get away from them easily enough by saying she needs to shower. And after a battle like that, armor or not, she definitely does.

Apparently she can’t expect to get too much time to herself because her mother comes up to check on her maybe ten minutes after she’s done showering. But when she gets to the doorway she just stands there silently, staring at Trini. It gets to the point of being uncomfortable again.

“...What?”

Her mother straightens. “Your sweatshirt.”

Trini glances down at herself to see that she’s wearing the cheer sweatshirt that Kimberly had given her. So… oops. She looks back up, but makes an effort to keep her expression neutral. Internally she’s low key freaking out.

“It’s Kim’s.”

Her mother’s reaction is kind of hilarious--pure shock, mostly from how direct Trini is being--and it almost makes the little tinge of panic she feels worth it. But before things can get any worse, she continues her explanation.

“Jason’s hoodie is hanging over that chair, Zack’s beanie is on that shelf, and I think I’ve got one of Billy’s jackets somewhere around here, too. I get cold easily, and we don’t care about sharing clothes. Is that a problem?” She may be exaggerating about having more than just Kim’s sweatshirt, but her mom doesn’t need to know that.

She doesn’t get an actual answer. Her mother just says, “Come down for dinner in ten minutes please,” and leaves.

If she had actually thought about what she was wearing, she probably would've acknowledged what might happen if her parents noticed that it came from the cheer team, but she was more focused on comfort than logic. The decision to grab Kim's sweatshirt was solely because it's comfortable, and, well… because it's Kim's. It’s been a very _very_ stressful day, and she needs something to calm herself down. If Kim can't be here herself to keep Trini company, then she'll settle for the next best thing.

The stress of the day gets worse when she starts thinking about that… _new_ Ranger. Because having that bad energy is one thing, but if that bad energy is closely linked to _Rita_ , does that mean this new person is going to have Rita-like tendencies? As in, are they going to target Trini again? Because she can’t handle that. The others do have her back now; would be able to feel if she’s in danger faster than she could text them, but it’d still be too much. It was hard enough to defeat her the first time… They can’t say for sure that they’ll be able to do it again.

And if this person is only partially in Rita’s control, then they might have a different fighting style. Something the Rangers aren't prepared to handle.

It's terrifying to think about.

Makes the barely-there scar on her neck flare up again; sting like it did when Rita’s nails first scraped across her skin, too forceful, too deep.

She works on some breathing techniques to keep calm because she's been having too many panic attacks from this stuff lately. It isn't good for her, and if she can try to avoid them then she might as well try it while she's still coherent enough to make that decision.

Dinner isn’t all that eventful. They talk about the attack and Trini answering her phone and keeping it charged, but Trini doesn’t actually say much. She mostly tries to get through what’s on her plate.

What _is_ eventful is when she walks back into her room to find Kimberly sitting at her desk.

It makes her jump a bit, but she recovers fast enough to close the door behind her. “God, Kim. What the hell?”

“I _swear_ I texted you that I was coming over,” Kim says, holding a hand up in defense.

“My _phone_ is literally sitting on that desk right in front of you. I’ve been downstairs.”

Kim glances down at the desk to see that the phone _is_ right there. Very clearly out in the open. “Well… You should’ve known I was here anyway. Aren’t you supposed to be able to _Ranger Sense_ me or something?”

“I was kind of actively trying to tune you guys out, so… No.”

“Oh.” Kim looks down as Trini takes a seat on the bed. “I’ll leave if you want me to, but I didn’t think you’d want to be alone after today.”

Trini shakes her head. “You’re right. I don’t.”

Kimberly turns to grab a white box that had been pushed to the side on the desk, and then rests it closer to the edge where Trini can see it. “I brought doughnuts.”

Someone to keep her company through the night _and_ doughnuts? That’s exactly what she needs right now. “I’m not getting any sleep tonight, so if you’re really going to stay, I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not,” Kim says, patting the top of the box. “I got sugar to keep myself awake.”

“Oh, is that what that’s for?”

“No. It was more of a bribe. The sugar high is just a bonus.”

“You know the ‘bonus’ is spending time with me. You couldn’t care less about the sugar.”

Kim smiles. “Yeah, you caught me.” Then the smile fades a bit and Trini can feel the air getting more serious. “Do you want to talk about what happened earlier?”

Yes and no. It feels like she’s been thinking about it nonstop for the past however many hours already, but getting some of that out loud might be nice. “I pretty much covered everything earlier. I’m just… Scared.”

Then again, a stressful conversation after a stressful day might be a bit too much stress all at once. She can save it for tomorrow.

“You wanna talk about something else, then?”

“All I can think about is how we have school in the morning, and I’m really not looking forward to it.”

Kimberly shakes her head. “Me neither.“

“But I can’t get away with skipping again. My grades are gonna suffer.”

“It won’t be _that_ bad. I’m sure we’ll get through it just fine.”

“I admire your optimism, but I don’t share it,” Trini says. “And... thanks for the doughnuts.”

“I figured you might need some.” Kim pauses, and the silence stretches on long enough that Trini doesn’t think she’s going to add anything. But, eventually, she does. “Actually, can I be honest with you for a minute?”

The fact that Kim looks almost _nervous_ only worries Trini more. She tries to make a joke to relieve the tension, but it kind of falls flat. “Just a minute? You’ve been lying to me this whole time?” [Kim _does_ manage to smile for a few seconds, but it barely lasts long enough for Trini is notice.] “You can talk to me. What’s up?”

“I was terrified earlier.”

“Yeah, me too,” Trini says quietly.

“I just… I don’t think I realized how my feelings for you would clash with how we operate out in the field trying to save the town. I could barely focus on anything else because I was so worried about you, and that… That was dumb on my part. And kind of irresponsible.”

Trini stares at her, processing what that’s supposed to mean. “Are you…? Are you breaking up with me before we even become a thing?”

Kim sits back and shakes her head. “What? No. God, no. I’m sorry; I could’ve framed that better. My point is that I can fix that. I can change up how I deal with things in a fight. But… I know we’ve all said that we’d die for each other. So that Ranger love that we already have is pretty intense. I think I misjudged how much I care about you. But after today, I’m not… I don’t want to come that close to one of us getting hurt again.”

She has no idea how to respond to that. Barely understands what it means. But, it _sort of_ sounds like Kim is confessing her love for Trini... Is that what’s happening?

Kimberly suddenly looks really confused, giving Trini a, _“What the hell are you doing?”_ face. But Trini doesn’t know what that’s about either. Is she missing something? Did she space out for half of their conversation?

“Are you _trying_ to morph right now?” Kim asks.

“What? No.” Trini looks down at herself to see that her armor is flickering around her hands. She takes a deep breath and focuses on making it stop.

“We didn’t mention that to Zordon earlier.” Right. Trini almost blowing their cover in the middle of town. “I think we should’ve.”

“Probably…” Trini’s still looking at her hands, but this time she _tries_ to morph. The armor forms completely around her hands, but stops right at her wrists. “I can’t… I can’t do it?”

“What?”

Trini shrugs. “I’m trying to morph, but it stopped.”

“Do you think… Are we just not connected anymore, or…? Do you think it’s something else?” Kim asks, but she’s taking this way better than Trini is.

“I don’t know why we wouldn’t be connected. We’ve been pretty open with each other lately, haven’t we?”

“I thought so…”

She’s starting to panic a bit now, and that causes the armor that _had_ formed to melt away. “But what else could it be?”

“Trini, you need to calm down.”

She looks up this time. “Can you do it?”

Kimberly pauses because it doesn’t seem necessary, but she _is_ curious. She watches as the armor covers her hands and up her forearms, and is about to stop intentionally when it stops itself. It barely reaches her shoulders. “Uh… No, I can’t.”

Trini seems even more panicked now.

“It might not mean anything,” Kim says as she does the opposite from before and waits for the armor to go away. “We probably just need to rest it off.”

That sounds too simple for it to be the answer. “But why did it start morphing on its own?”

“I don’t know. Maybe…” Kim trails off, trying to come up with an answer. “I don’t know.”

It’d be really easy for Trini to just freak out again. Overanalyze and panic. Punch more stuff. But instead she just sighs and gestures towards Kim. “Hand me a doughnut?”

After handing over the entire box, Kim says, “We should ask the guys if they’re having trouble with it, too.”

“Sure.” Trini nods, taking a bite from one of the doughnuts. “But, like… We can do that tomorrow.”

Kim smiles and nods. “Alright. Sounds good to me…”

And then there’s another lull in the conversation, and Kimberly’s running through several different things in her head. Is she supposed to be avoiding heavier topics right now?

“Your brothers are cute, by the way.”

Trini tilts her head and smiles a bit. “Hm… Yeah, they’re a big fan of yours, too.”

“Really? Why?”

“You told me to shut up and got away with it.”

That does sort of make sense. “Oh. So if I use that power of mine to help them get what they want from you, they’ll _really_ love me.”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“I was serious about coming back to introduce myself,” Kim says. “If that’s okay. Things are hectic right now from the attack, but… You know when I’m free.”

Trini nods slowly. To be honest, she had expected Kim to forget about it (and hoped her brothers would, too). Having _any_ of her friends in the same house as her family could end terribly. But it’s something her brothers and Kim seem to want, so… “Yeah, that’d… They’d love that.”

Unfortunately, she can’t say the same for her parents.

 

\---

 

School the next day is rough. Zack doesn’t go at all because he’s too tired, but would also rather spend the time with his mom. After the attack… they just need the time together. Trini almost falls asleep on Kim’s shoulder at lunch. They all think she actually has, but when Billy asks if she’s awake, she mumbles out a disappointed, _“Yes”_ without opening her eyes. Kimberly _does_ fall asleep during Bio. Trini can’t tell visibly, but she can feel it. And she’d make an attempt to wake her up, but they sit too far away for her to try anything. The teacher notices pretty quickly and moves to stand in front of her desk, saying, _“Kimberly,”_ once with the firmest tone he can muster.

It doesn’t work.

“Kim-”

And then there’s a loud noise as someone shoves their textbook off of their desk, and a faint but noncommittal, _“Oops.”_

That works to wake her up. As she takes a second to fully recover, the teacher makes his way back to the front of the classroom.

“Thank you for joining us again, Kimberly. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t fall asleep in the middle of my class again.”

Despite having _just_ woken up, she’s already ready with an excuse. “I’m, uh.. I’m sorry. I’ve had some… personal stuff because of the attack going on. Family stuff. It isn’t an excuse, but I’m...Sorry.”

The crazy thing is, it actually works. The teacher nods awkwardly, clears his throat and says, “I’m sorry to hear about that. Please _try_ to pay attention next time?”

Zack joins them in the ship that afternoon so they can address the “morphing situation.” They start off with all of them morphing--or, trying to morph--so they can see how many of them are affected. Trini has the most trouble. She can barely get her armor up past her hands again, and then there’s one random patch on her left shoulder. Kimberly doesn’t have much luck, either. She gets her hands up to her forearms, a spot on her right leg, and it _starts_ to form around her neck but doesn’t last. The boys appear to be almost completely decked out. Only, Jason’s missing an arm and a leg, and Billy can’t get his helmet up.

Zack stands off to the side, everything covered except for the visor on his helmet, and that was done on purpose. He smiles and winks at them, saying, “Yo, I’m the chosen one. I’ve got everything covered.”

He spins in a circle to give them the full view, and then everyone starts laughing. And not in a lighthearted, _“Haha, you’re the chosen one. Okay, Zack,”_ way. So he stops spinning to face them with a questioning look.

“Uh…” Jason has a difficult time calming down enough to answer him. “Your ass is out, dude.”

He twists to check behind him, and he clearly has a patch of jeans covering his butt instead of armor.

“Oh my god…” Trini trails off. “This is amazing.”

Zack shrugs, flipping his imaginary hair at them. “At least now you can finally appreciate it.”

They get back to seriously figuring things out after they calm down. The only unanimous conclusion they can come to is that it doesn’t make sense. Even Zordon doesn’t know what to tell them beyond what he already has. “Think only of each other and the grid will blah blah blah,” or whatever. But since Trini’s having the most trouble, she’s pretty sure that means it _has_ to be her fault. The others keep saying they don’t blame her, and she hasn’t done anything wrong, but… she has, hasn’t she? She froze out on the battlefield, and is having a much harder time accepting that there’s another Green Ranger than the others are. She’s doing something--intentionally, or not--to disconnect from the others, and it’s _hurting_ them. If they still can’t morph when the new Ranger attacks again...

She doesn’t even want to think about what might happen.

 

\---

 

**Black and Yellow**

**[lil z | trini//]**

**lil z:** listen t… i know we’re “close” but i’m abt to ask u a very personal question so bare w/ me pls

 **trini//:** ...what the hell does /that/ mean??

 **lil z:** r u by urself rn?

 **trini//:** uh, yeah???

 **lil z:** sorry, that’s not the q

 **lil z:** did i… interrupt smth w my text just now?

 **trini//:** idk, u interrupted me trying to write this paper for English, but… no?

 **lil z:** so ur not, like… turned on… for some reason…

 **trini//:** holy shit, Zack? Are you asking me what I think ur asking me??

 **lil z:** i’ve felt u guys get vaguely aroused before, but rn is.. Intense

 **lil z:** i am v uncomfortable

 **lil z:** i don’t know who it’s coming from

 **trini//:** god, well… I don’t feel that… Sorry, bro

 **lil z:** do u know what kim’s doing?

 **trini//:** no?

 **lil z:** can u find out for me? Cause i don’t think i can have this convo w/ anyone else.. Esp if this is coming from them

 **trini//:** uh… Give me a second?

  
Trini takes longer than what's probably necessary to work up the courage and text Kim. She needs to be casual about it, but also…? What if this arousal that Zack is feeling _is_ coming from her? Trini doesn’t think she can handle that information if Kim actually tells her. _Especially_ if Kim _willingly_ tells her.

 

**Pink Lemonade**

**[princess.hart | trini//]**

**trini//:** what’s up?

 **princess.hart:** ...u feel that too?

 **trini//:** oh my god

 **trini//:** is it from u???

 **princess.hart:** No?? So it isn’t you?

 **trini//:** lmao, no. I can’t even feel it

 **trini//:** Zack asked if it was me, and when I said no, he asked me to check w/ u bc he didn’t want to confront anyone else abt it

 **princess.hart:** So it has to be Billy or Jason

 **trini//:** u think it’s both...?

 **princess.hart:** I mean, probably? They’ve been acting weird lately.

 **trini//:** alright

 **trini//:** Zack told me he was super uncomfortable earlier, and now i am too… I'm not feeling this sex fest, and I'm also talking to the two of you while knowing how wildly turned on u both are

 **princess.hart:** Believe me, T. You don’t want to be feeling this, knowing it’s coming from one of the guys.

 **trini//:** do I want to ask what what you’re doing rn, or is that a tmi

 **princess.hart:** I was watching tv, but now I’m cleaning as a distraction

 **princess.hart:** I can’t exactly do anything else… I’ll just keep thinking about who it’s actually coming from, and I DO NOT want to do that, so

 **trini//:** I wish we could turn this bond thing off sometimes

 **princess.hart:** Me too :/

 **trini//:** so, should I leave u alone now, or…?

 **princess.hart:** No, it’s good. I just hope this is over soon

 **trini//:** uh… good luck??

 

She’s barely had enough time to switch over to her conversation with Zack before she gets another message from Kim.

 

 **princess.hart:** actUALLY I CHANGED MY MIND

 **princess.hart:** PLEASE HELP ME

 **trini//:** help you?

 **princess.hart:** Yes!!!

 **trini//:** how?

 **princess.hart:** I DON’T KNOW JUST HELP ME TURN IT OFF

 **princess.hart:** TRINI PLEASE

 **trini//:** turning girls /off/ isn’t rlly my specialty Kimmy. Sorry

 **trini//:** u might be better off going to Zack for that. He probably has more experience

 **princess.hart:** triNI

 **trini//:** dude, just take a cold shower

 **trini//:** like, ice cold. That’s the best advice I can give ya

 **princess.hart:** ...Okay???

 **trini//:** you’re probably thinking abt it too much. Like if ur aware of it, then it’s amplified. Like the other night when I tried not to feel you guys, and I couldn’t sense that u were in my room

 **princess.hart:** How the FUCK am I supposed to not think about this? If I could be UNAWARE of it, that’d be fantastic. But I don’t think that’s happening anytime soon.

 **trini//:** I need to text z back real quick. Just… try the shower thing, ok?

 **princess.hart:** ...Ok

 

**Black and Yellow**

**[lil z | trini//]**

**trini//:** yo, so it isn’t from Kim, but she feels it too

 **lil z:** wake me up (wake me up inside)

 **trini//:** should we text Billy or Jason, or are u just gonna hope it goes away soon?

 **lil z:** i’m,, not thinking abt it,, just.,. Ignoring

 **trini//:** alright. Good luck, I guess

  
After putting _that_ mess behind her, Trini’s ready to give up on that essay for now and actually get some sleep. She’s tired enough, and really doesn’t need to risk passing out in the middle of class like Kim did earlier. But she’s probably a _minute_ away from sleep when she gets another text.

 

**Pink Lemonade**

**[princess.hart | trini//]**

**princess.hart:** Actually, why the hell are they hooking up on a Monday night? That’s the least sexiest day of the week?

 **trini//:** r u sure? I feel like it’d be wednesday… I just get that vibe

 **princess.hart:** So we’re just going to ignore that it’s literally called hump day

 **trini//:** becAUSE IT’S THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK KIM

 **trini//:** YOU KNOW THAT’S NOT WHAT IT’S NAMED FOR, RIGHT?

 **princess.hart:** Hear me out, dude

 **princess.hart:** Monday: sucks. Tuesday: the beginning of the week, not too stressful bc ur already through Mon. Then Wednesday, middle of the week, you can applaud urself for making it this far. Thursday: “Yay, tmrw’s Friday!” Friday: u can finally relax/party. Saturday: is the best day. And, finally, Sunday: (Sin)day

 **trini//:** w/e ur so weird

 **trini//:** I can’t believe you’ve put this much thought into rating the days of the week

 **princess.hart:** I have a lot more free time on my hands now than I used to

 **trini//:** so if ur s/o wanted to hook up but they were only free on a monday, u would turn them down?

 **princess.hart:** This is an odd hypothetical

 **princess.hart:** I’m not saying I wouldn’t hook up on a Monday ever, just that it’s an odd choice if it’s their first time

 **trini//:** why are we even talking abt this?? It’s giving me a mental image :///

 **trini//:** so if u were all hot and bothered and u hadn’t done anything w/ ur s/o but it was a monday and u were both ready, you’d be like… “wait can we pause this for abt 4 days and come back to it?”

 **princess.hart:** Oh my god. Idk, maybe?

 **princess.hart:** Listen, unless you’re offering rn, shut up

 **trini//:** omg, go to beddd

 **princess.hart:** I don’t think I can

 **princess.hart:** I mean, that feeling’s gone; they’ve stopped w/e was happening, I’m just… you know

 **princess.hart:** Today wasn't as crazy as yesterday. But, still

 **trini//:** u don't want to be alone?

 **princess.hart:** No, not really

 **trini//:** I can’t come over, but I can FaceTime

 **trini//:** Like, if u want

 

Trini’s phone rings with a FaceTime call from Kim almost immediately.

They talk for a while, but she falls asleep by accident a half an hour later. Kimberly eventually falls asleep, too, but she still keeps Trini on the line. Just in case.

 

\---

 

Since it’s the only time all of them really get to see each other together, it's awkward at lunch the next day. Zack’s gone again, but this time for work, so that leaves Trini and Kimberly to face Billy and Jason on their own. Confront them? No way. But face them and act like everything’s fine? They’re trying their best at that one. At one point Billy glances around the table before saying, “Kimberly, I thought you said we wouldn’t have anymore awkward lunches… No one’s talking right now…”

“I didn’t think we would,” Kim says. “But, honestly… This isn’t from me or Trini, B.”

Kim notices how Jason freezes up after that comment, but he still attempts to get through lunch without addressing what they’re all thinking about. Or, what most of them are thinking about.

He almost _runs_ away from them as soon as their next class starts.

At the end of the day Kimberly makes her way to the hallway that Zack’s locker is on, about to find a spot on the wall to lean against so she can wait for Trini. But before she gets anywhere, someone’s grabbing her arm and pulling her off to the side. Kimberly _almost_ reacts defensively, ‘cause what else would her reflex be when someone catches her off guard like that? But she stops herself, barely managing to calm down once they stop and she can look at the person.

“Hey, I need to be seen with you for a second,” the girl says, glancing around the hall before making eye contact with Kim.

“What? Who are you?”

“I’m new here and I’ve got some people on my back. I heard Kimberly Hart was a badass with a reputation for punching out assholes.”

Is _two_ really enough to give her a reputation? Whatever. It could be worse. “Well… I guess I am. But if you knew that, you think it might’ve been a little risky to grab my arm like that?”

The girl glances down and then lets go of Kim’s arm. “Right. Sorry.”

“Why do you need to be seen with me?”

“If I’m associated with you, those assholes will be less likely to mess with me. Don’t get me wrong, I can handle myself. But one against five isn’t always the best odds. Even without being the “new girl,” I’m an outsider here. And from what I’ve heard, you’re kind of out here on the sidelines with me.”

Kimberly looks over the bandages covering the other girl’s right arm and then at a pretty bad looking bruise near her left eye. “They did _that_ to you?”

“What? Oh. No. That’s from the weird attack on Sunday. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they did try something like that,” she says. “I’m Tommy. I’m in your History class.”

“Right…” Kim still doesn’t recognize her, and now that she knows they have a class together, she feels kind of bad about it. “How _new_ is new, exactly?”

“About two and half, three weeks.”

 _That_ makes her feel a little better. Especially since the last two weeks have been pretty hectic. “Okay… How long do you need to be seen with me...?”

Tommy looks around the hall again and nods. “This should be good. Thanks.”

“Uh… Sure, okay…” Kim says, still confused by the interaction. She watches as Tommy throws her a two finger salute and walks away. Kimberly forgets what she had previously been doing for a minute, but snaps out of it when she notices Trini suddenly by her side.

“Who was that?” Trini asks, and Kim shrugs.

“Her name’s Tommy. Apparently I’m intimidating, and she wanted to be seen with me so people would stop messing with her. She’s in one of my classes.”

“Oh.”

Kimberly looks at Trini now, and notices that she looks a little out of it. “You okay?”

“Yeah…” She nods, slowly bringing her attention back to Kim. “So, um… If you really want to meet my brothers, Thursday would be a good day to do it. My parents will be out, and I’m supposed to babysit.”

“Alright. I’ll be there.”

 

\---

 

**Biconic Duo**

**[goldenboi | princess.hart]**

**princess.hart:** Hey, Jace

 **princess.hart:** You wanna talk about what happened at lunch today

 **princess.hart:** Or what happened last night

 **goldenboi:** idk what you’re talking about dude

 **princess.hart:** J. Seriously

 **goldenboi:** ahahah… nothing happened Kim, idk what u mean

 **goldenboi:** Anyways, it’s a lovely day out.

 **princess.hart:** I can’t believe you

 **princess.hart:** How are you our leader? This is ridiculous

 

\---

 

**Rainbow Rangers**

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | princess.hart | trini//]**

**lil z:** guys

 **lil z:** guys there’s some girl on my train

 **lil z:** MY train

 **lil z:** can u believe the sheer audacity???

 **billyc:** Are you going to talk to her?

 **lil z:** idk…. Haven’t decided yet….

 **lil z:** perhaps this is a sign that i should just go home…

 

 **lil z:** so i yelled at her

 **princess.hart:** What?

 **lil z:** i asked if she could pay to rent out the spot, and she said “ya” but that she had unconventional currency

 **lil z:** “sarcasm, puns, and meaningless flirting”

 **lil z:** i chose puns

 **trini//:** and she gave you puns?

 **trini//:** what is happening?

 **lil z:** she said “puns abt monorails always make for decent one-liners. U think that covers the tab?”

 **lil z:** i said she forgot tax, so she added “look, dude, i just came out here to kick some rocks and blow off some STEAM. I didn’t mean to DERAIL ur plans or anything”

 **lil z:** i’m in platonic love

 **trini//:** she came up w/ that on the spot? Damn

 **lil z:** i said i actually needed to get back on TRACK and go home anyway, so she’s still there i guess

 **lil z:** said she was new around here and didn’t know the laws of the land yet, so i let it slide

 **goldenboi:** You just liked the puns

 **lil z:** ^^correct

 **princess.hart:** She’s new? Did she say her name?

 **lil z:** ya, why?

 **princess.hart:** What is it?

 **lil z:** tommy

 **princess.hart:** I met her earlier. I think she wants to enlist me as a secondary fighter or smth. What’s it called when you sub someone in to fight when u cant?

 **trini//:** ...a substitute?

 **princess.hart:** I guess? My point is, she said ppl have been messing w/ her

 **lil z:** whO WOULD MESS W/ HER

 **lil z:** she has great puns

 **lil z:** wasn’t rude

 **lil z:** an overall COOL aura…

 **princess.hart:** We live around some shitty ppl, Z. Their reasons might not even make sense

 **lil z:** tru tru

 **lil z:** u right

 **trini//:** if she starts hanging out around there, do u think it’d get trickier to get to the ship w/out anyone noticing?

 **princess.hart:** Maybe

 **princess.hart:** How would we avoid that?

 **trini//:** idk, knock her out or smth

 **goldenboi:** I don’t think more violence against civilians would be a good idea

 **trini//:** rule #1 don’t reveal ur identity as a ranger. That overpowers rule # whatever that says we can’t punch ppl

 **billyc:** Technically she’s right

 **billyc:** But Jason’s also right, we shouldn’t punch anyone else

 **lil z:** ^^i don’t wanna punch her she seems nice

 **trini//:** there are more ways to knock someone out than punching them…

 **goldenboi:** Trini no

 **trini//:** …

 **princess.hart:** “More violence” “We shouldn’t punch anyone else”

 **princess.hart:** Listen, I’m sorry I exceeded our max number of fuck ups, but I’ve only punched ONE person, and I wasn’t a Ranger yet when that happened. And I just smashed that other guy’s face into a desk. It’s different than punching

 **goldenboi:** Our max is 0. We shouldn’t punch/hurt anyone

 **trini//:** that Brad guy deserved it

 **lil z:** u weren’t even there t

 **princess.hart:** He did deserve it though

 **goldenboi:** That shouldn’t be an excuse

 **trini//:** oh well

 **goldenboi:** Trini

 **goldenboi:** Do not punch the new girl

 **trini//:** I never said I was going to. Calm down, dude

 **goldenboi:** Look, if that does become a problem, we’ll figure it out later. Right now we need to stop jumping to violence as our answer for everything

 **goldenboi:** More importantly, we need to figure out why we can’t fully morph before another attack springs on us.


	13. The Breakfast Club (Ft. Tommy)

If she’s going to be completely honest, Trini isn’t really looking forward to Kimberly meeting her brothers. She’d rather they not interact _at all_ . Mostly because she doesn’t know what they’ll do or say, and _not knowing_ how things are going to play out between three of the most important people in her life is… scary. But, now that she’s let Kim into her house and her brothers are just in the other room, she can’t exactly back out now.

“So…” Trini gestures at her brothers, ready to do the _formal introduction_ thing so they can get it over with. But she gets cut off.

“No. Wait,” Jackson says. “She said she knew our names. She can tell us who we are.”

She really isn’t looking forward to all of these totally unnecessary “tests” that she’s sure they already have planned out, but Kim doesn’t look fazed by it.

“Alright.” Kim nods, and then points at each of them. “Jackson and Dante. See?”

Dante stares at her. “Could be a lucky guess…”

“Guys,” Trini starts, but they don’t pay any attention to her.

Kimberly shakes her head. “It wasn’t a guess. I know that _Jackson_ is taller and _always_ wears shoes in the house. And _Dante_ loves the color blue,” she says, pausing to look at the blue hoodie he’s wearing. “And has a gap tooth like his sister.”

The boys look at each other, and then lower their voices to have their own conversation for a moment. Trini is still staring at Kim, both in awe and confusion.

“How did you know that?”

“What do you mean? You told me.”

She told her? What? “When?”

“I don’t know. You mentioned the blue thing a while ago. The gap and height thing was from… Sunday night, I think. And I’m not sure about the shoe thing.”

Trini isn’t sure what conversation they might’ve been having that could’ve led to that information, but… the fact that Kim _does_ know this stuff is proof enough that she must’ve said something at some point. “You remember that?”

“You don’t?”

“Uh, not really.”

“Okay, _Kim_ ,” Jackson says, the focus brought back to all four of them. “Why were you in Trini’s room the other night?”

Maybe they should’ve gone over how they’d answer questions like these.

“Do you guys ever get nightmares, and go to Trini, or your parents, or stay up with each other so you’ll feel safer?”

Dante shakes his head. “ _No_.”

Well, that’s a lie. But Trini gets it. She wouldn’t admit her nightmares to just anyone, either.

“Well, I get them sometimes,” Kim says, shrugging. “That’s why I came over here. I was too scared to sleep on my own that night.”

 _That’s_ a lie, too. But she appreciates how Kim is helping her keep up the _fearless older sister_ image her brothers have of her.

“Okay…” They’re both still giving her their most intimidating glares.

And that’s when Trini turns the TV on, hoping the background noise will relieve some of the tension she feels. So far it isn't going  _terribly_ , but that could easily change.

"So, I heard you guys are fans of the Power Rangers," Kim says, and suddenly she has their full attention. "I saw what you painted on Trini's wall; it was pretty cool."

"Thanks."

"Is your favorite the blue one?" She asks, looking at Dante.

He nods. "Yeah. He likes yellow."

"Really?" Kim glances at Trini, but Jackson assumes the look is her asking about  _Trini's_ favorite Ranger.

"She's too cool to like the Power Rangers."

"What? That's not what she told me." Kimberly smiles and shakes her head, turning back to Trini for a moment. "Have you been lying to your brothers?"

She knew she'd have to worry about what  _Kim_ might say, in addition to her brothers. For now she's just trying to keep her mouth shut so she doesn't make things worse.

"Did she tell you her favorite?" Dante asks, and Kim still has that dumb smile on her face.

"She did, but I don't know if I should tell you guys..."

Jackson looks back and forth at the girls, and says, "What? You  _have_ to."

Kim shrugs, and then motions for the boys to come towards her so she can whisper the answer to them. They back away with huge smiles, throwing amused looks at Trini.

"Are you serious? No way."

"Yes way. I swear."

She's seriously questioning why she loves these three idiots so much.

"What'd you tell them?"

"You wanna take a guess?" Kim asks, ignoring the glare that's being directed at her. Trini knows that she's challenging her, but she also knows that getting it wrong wouldn't be fun. Because if she says pink, which she thinks would be the obvious answer, and she's wrong, both Kim  _and_ the boys would latch onto that and never let her forget it. But, if she says something else, like yellow, and the answer  _was_ pink, that wouldn't look very good, either.

"No."

After that, it's like Kim and her brothers have formed some sort of  _Not Trini_ club with how much they're messing with her. [If you asked Kimberly, it'd really be called the,  _We Love Trini_ club.] But, on the bright side, they're getting along. Remarkably well, actually. More than Trini thought they'd be. She's taking that as a good sign. Especially because things seem to be going well the entire time leading up to when Kim has to leave.

She tenses up again when Dante tries to give a threatening glare--it just comes off as cute--as Kim's about to go out the door, and says, "If you're gonna be our sister's girlfriend, you better not hurt her."

Because obviously it wouldn't be enough to just  _tell_ _them_ to behave and expect it to actually happen.

"I won't. But if I do, I understand that you'll have to protect her and take your vengeance out on me."

The tough act that the boys have been trying to put on falls immediately after the door closes again. They turn to Trini and almost simultaneously say, “I love her.”

She smiles. “Yeah… Me too, guys.”

 

\---

 

**Pink Lemonade**

**[princess.hart | trini//]**

**trini//:** kim

 **trini//:** my brothers kept calling u my girlfriend

 **princess.hart:** They sure did

 **trini//:** and u didn’t correct them, so

 **trini//:** we’re going for that label now?

 **princess.hart:** I mean, I figured just saying I was ur gf would go over better w/ ur brothers than trying to explain it in a different way

 **trini//:** alright, ya, that makes sense

 **princess.hart:** So they don’t hate me?

 **trini//:** no, they love u

 **princess.hart:** Seriously? Awesome.

 **princess.hart:** I’m Jackson and Dante approved

 **trini//:** u should be proud

 **princess.hart:** I am

 **trini//:** u never told me how therapy went

 **princess.hart:** Oh, right

 **princess.hart:** I guess it went better than last time

 **princess.hart:** I at least talked, so she appreciated that

 **trini//:** small steps are still steps

 **princess.hart:** yeah

 **trini//:** u don’t have to talk abt it

 **trini//:** that stuff doesn’t have to leave that room.. It all stays in there

 **princess.hart:** But I can’t rant abt therapy to my therapist

 **princess.hart:** I can, but it wouldn’t have the same effect

 **trini//:** that’s true

 **princess.hart:** But rn I’d rather not talk abt it

 **princess.hart:** Maybe later

 **trini//:** ok, i’ll be here

 

\---

 

**Rainbow Rangers**

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | princess.hart | trini//]**

**lil z:** hey, u guys remember how i left lunch to grab some books from the library earlier??

 **lil z:** i found tommy in there chillin

 **trini//:** ...ok?

 **lil z:** she has lunch the same period as us

 **trini//:** I don’t see where ur goin w/ this

 **lil z:** omg t

 **lil z:** i sat w/ her for a while and we bonded over the train thing

 **lil z:** then i asked if she always sat in there for lunch, and she said she has been since last week. And i was like, “bro u aren’t eating lunch??”

 **lil z:** cause i know from experience those librarians crack DOWN on ppl trying to eat in there

 **lil z:** so she shook her head but wouldn’t rlly say anything else, and i was like “bro, u should eat w/ me and my buds on monday. I’d extend the invite further, but i’m not always there so i don’t wanna abandon u. But if u like us u can stay”

 **lil z:** “food is the most important meal of the day”

 **lil z:** she thought that was funny, so she said she might drop by if she sees us

 **trini//:** oh

 **goldenboi:** Cool

 **billyc:** Nice!

 **lil z:** ya, i was thinkin abt how kim said she had ppl messin w/ her and she got all emo and called herself “an outcast” or w/e, and I think she prob doesn’t have anyone else to sit w/ so she stays out of the lunchroom to avoid being a bigger target

 **goldenboi:** Makes sense

 

 **lil z:** so apparently there’s a fight down in the history wing??

 **goldenboi:** Doesn’t Kim have history this period?

 **princess.hart:** Oh my god. Fuck you, Jason

 **goldenboi:** It was a genuine question

 **princess.hart:** I do. But I’m not in the fight. Our teacher is kind of blocking the door so we can’t get out there and cause a bigger crowd. And it started before the bell rang, so not everyone made it into the room. There’s only six of us here

 **princess.hart:** I’m bummed. I wanna see it.

 **goldenboi:** Where’s Trini?

 **trini//:** dude, I’m on the complete opposite side of the school

 **goldenboi:** I’m just trying to cover all of our bases. I’m fine as long as it doesn’t involve one of us.

 **trini//:** “all of our bases” aka, Trini and Kimberly

 **trini//:** bc ur convinced we cause all of our problems

 **trini//:** it’s because we’re girls, isn’t it?

 **goldenboi:** It’s bc u both try to solve things w/ violence

 **trini//:** the “because we’re girls” thing was a joke, but OKAY

 **trini//:** I don’t solve things w/ violence, I run away from my problems. Where have you been?

 **lil z:** u did try to beat up amanda that one time didn’t u

 **trini//:** I’m not talking to u Zack, i’m talking to J

 **princess.hart:** Just me and T solve things w/ violence? Says the boy who literally slapped Colt Wallace in the face his first day in detention

 **goldenboi:** We weren’t rangers then

 **princess.hart:** Exactly, so stop bringing up the Ty thing when u talk abt our violent tendencies

 **trini//:** yeah, and u and zack got in that fight in the pit after he crashed his zord, so???

 **trini//:** who are the violent ones now??

 **lil z:** they’re right

 **goldenboi:** gtg can’t get caught w/ my phone out

 **trini//:** coward

 **princess.hart:** Are you stressed abt smth, Jace?? You’ve been on edge a lot lately

 **lil z:** i thought we covered everything at that bonfire the other night

 **trini//:** maybe it’s just his dad being difficult again

 **trini//:** I need to get back to class too. Seeya

 **lil z:** DEEP SIGH

 

\---

 

They don’t notice that Tommy is also sitting in the detention room with them until the teacher calls out her name for roll. When they _do_ notice her, the only person she seems to be looking at is Kimberly. Why? Trini isn’t totally sure since there are four other people currently staring at her, but she’s trying to convince herself it’s because Kim’s name was already called and Tommy just hasn’t noticed Zack yet.

She snaps out of that train of thought when a note flies towards her, and she catches it. The only reason she opens it is because of the pink ink.

_“Talk to me. I’m bored.”_

Her response doesn’t take long.

_“We aren’t even 5 minutes into this thing and you’re already bored?? How did you ever survive this place without me?”_

_“It wasn’t easy. Not gonna lie.”_

She doesn’t mind talking to Kim--she honestly prefers doing that instead of anything else right now. _But_ coming up with conversation topics isn’t something she enjoys doing.

_“Did we ever confirm what went down with Jason/Billy the other night? Or was it just one of them?”_

Kimberly glances at Jason before she responds to the note.

_“I tried texting J but he was playing dumb. I guess I’ll let it slide for now. But if it happens again, I’m running over to one of their houses and breaking the door down. “_

She’d say, _“same,”_ but she never had to experience what Kim and Zack did. Unfortunately, though, if she doesn’t have a good response to that, the conversation has to go somewhere else.

_“You wanna know something dumb?”_

_“Always.”_

_“I low key miss playing the keyboard with you guys”_

Kimberly stalls her response for a moment to smile at Trini.

_“Aww. No one’s stopping you. You can still play. Billy still rocks out on his drums”_

_“No, with you guys I had an excuse. If I do it on my own it’s just lame. That’s why I hadn’t played in 2 years.”_

_“Right. Your badass rep is fragile.”_

Trini rolls her eyes.

_“Shut the fuck up. I’m trying to be real with you right now”_

_“You’re adorable”_

_“I hate you sometimes”_

_“Liar”_

Their back and forth gets interrupted by another note coming from a slightly different direction. It’s from Zack.

_“Hart eyes, motherfucker”_

Trini doesn’t even try to respond. She crumbles the note up to throw it back and aims for his head. It _almost_ hits him.

Before she can come up with something to say to Kim, she gets a different idea and throws a note to Billy. She isn’t sure why they would question Jason and _not_ Billy; especially when Jason didn’t give them any answers, and Billy's more likely to tell them the truth.

_“Hey B. What were you doing Mon. night?”_

Billy takes the time to respond to a note from Zack that he had already opened, and then moves on to Trini’s.

_“I started working on a new project at 4, and that lasted for a few hours. And then Jason came over to hang out. Why?”_

_“Did J stay the night?”_

_“Yes”_

_“Okay. Kim was just getting a weird feeling that night, and I’m trying to help her figure out what it was from. No big deal”_

It doesn’t hurt to stretch the truth or skirt around what she’s trying to say, does it? Either way, Billy doesn’t seem to notice anything odd about her response.

_“Oh. Okay. What kind of feeling?”_

_“Idk. You’d have to ask Kim. Also, do you mind if I show this note to her?”_

_“Nope. Go ahead”_

After Trini throws the note, Kimberly looks over it, confused at first. Then realization hits. She pulls out a new sheet of paper to respond to Trini.

_“Holy shit. I knew it. Can I throw that to Jason? It’ll mess with him”_

_“Yeah. He’s been roasting us all week. Do it”_

Jason doesn’t have much of a visible reaction. He just silently folds the paper back up and avoids eye contact with everyone for the remainder of detention. Kimberly still tries throwing him more notes. Some that say he owed her and Zack an explanation because of what they had experienced, or that she isn’t surprised and she thinks him and Billy make a cute couple. He tosses them all to the side with no intention of actually reading them.

The plan for what they’re doing _after_ detention is supposed to be more training and working on the morphing problem. But while the boys are already leaving, Kimberly tells Trini to hang back for a minute so she can go “check on something.” It leaves her confused until Kim calls out Tommy’s name and jogs away.

Kimberly waits until she’s reached Tommy to say anything more. She didn’t spend much time wondering how Tommy could’ve ended up in detention; it seemed almost obvious once she made the connection. Tommy’s in her History class. That fight took place in the History wing, and half of the class never made it into the room. Including Tommy. “So was it you who got into that fight yesterday?”

“Yep.”

Kim waits for her to continue, but awkward silence is the only thing that follows. She wonders if she should ask about what happened, or just _leave_ to avoid making things uncomfortable.

“I was trying to get to class,” Tommy adds. “Someone made a comment that I didn’t like, and I tried ignoring it, but he kept pushing, so… I just shoved him out of the way at first. He didn’t like that, and things kind of… escalated.”

She hadn’t been paying much attention to anyone else in the room, but whoever the other person in that fight was, they had to be there too. “Who was it?”

“I don’t now. Something Wallace?”

“Colt Wallace.”

Tommy nods. “Guess so.”

That’s something she can understand. Colt Wallace was the same guy who was messing with Billy that morning before they became Power Rangers. “Damn.”

“Yeah.” Tommy’s gaze shifts so that she’s looking over Kim’s shoulder. “Looks like your buddy’s waiting on you. Seeya later, Hart.”

“Yeah, okay.”

 

\---

 

“Morph.”

She’s only _saying_ it, and not really _focusing_ or _believing_ in it, but it’s still annoying when nothing happens.

“ _Morph_.”

Again. Nothing.

“ _Morph, goddammit!_ ”

“T, you can’t force it like that,” Zack says. “That’s my secret. You just… become one with the armor. Feel it. Let it flow.”

Trini glares at him. “Go… hit your head on a rock or something.”

“Your insults and threats don’t hurt as much when you don’t put your heart into it. Like morphing. You have no… passion.”

“Zack, I swear to god. You’re not helping.”

“Maybe you should take a break for a while?” Kimberly suggests, and Trini sighs in frustration.

“Yeah, whatever.”

Jason walks a few steps closer to them to be within earshot. “I think Zack’s right, though. You’re thinking about it too much.”

“Don’t tell me how to do my job,” she says before she can think twice about it. Does it make sense? No. Does she care? Also no.

“What?”

Trini shakes her head. “I don’t know. I’m tired. Leave me alone.”

She falls to the ground, taking the empty spot next to Kimberly, and leans onto her shoulder.

“We’re going to figure this stuff out,” Kim says, but it isn’t very effective.

“Can we just…” Trini says, and then sighs. “Not be talking right now?”

They don't talk anymore. The boys hope that the silence will be enough to clear their minds and help them morph completely, but it still doesn't work. They don't know what could be wrong, but whatever it is, it's something they're really going to have to work to figure out.

 

\---

 

“‘Sup, breakfast club,” Tommy says, taking the seat--at their lunch table--next to Kimberly and across from Zack. The other five stare at her for a moment before she adds, “What? There’s five of you, and you were all in detention... You know, the movie… _The Breakfast Club_.”

Zack nods. “She’s right. It fits amazingly well.”

“Also, I didn’t realize the two of you knew each other.”

Kimberly looks at Zack and nods sadly. “Unfortunately we do.”

Zack gasps. “Don’t be rude, Kimmy. What kind of first impression is that to make on our new friend?”

“She already got her first impression of me, and it’s that I punch people. Me messing with you won’t change much.”

“It’s true.” Tommy nods.

Zack rolls his eyes. “Okay. How about I introduce the rest of the squad? To my right is the lovely, beautiful, wonderful Billy.”

“Oh, yeah. I think we have Math together.”

Billy nods. “We do.”

“And then to Billy’s right we have Jason,” Zack continues. “Former golden boy of this school and town. Some say you can still hear the crowd chanting his name in the halls…”

“Uh. Hi,” Jason says, throwing a hand up to give a mini wave.

“Why would they be chanting in the halls?” Billy mutters to himself as Zack moves on.

“And lastly but certainly not least, unless we’re talking about her height because she’s short as hell,” Zack says all in one breath, and Trini glares at him when he pauses. “We’ve got Trini.”

Trini gives a slight nod.

“So this is the island of misfit toys, huh?” Tommy says as she looks over the entire table one more time.

Kim laughs a bit. “Guess that’s one way to put it.”

Trini initially wants to be offended by that comment, but she knows it wasn’t supposed to be malicious. And “island of misfit toys” does accurately describe their table. For now she’ll let it slide.

“What do you guys do for fun around here? I mean, besides punch people and hang out on abandoned train cars.”

“ _Well_ ,” Zack says. “Sometimes we eat s’mores… _while_ we’re on the train.”

“Oh that’s next level. Y’all are hardcore.”

Jason shrugs, leaning forward on the table. “We just hang out, you know? Around town, bonfires, movie nights… Normal stuff.”

Wow, okay Jason. Maybe cool it with the, _“We’re normal, I swear,”_ thing before it starts sounding suspicious? What (actually normal) person would say, “normal stuff” when they're asked what they like to do for fun?

Trini kind of zones out of the conversation. She doesn’t know if it’s because she’s tired or uninterested or _what_ , but she’s only retaining forty percent of whatever is being said at the table.

“So, Tommy… Tell us about yourself.” Zack puts his hands together on top of the table and attempts to adopt the most serious expression he can.

Tommy seems slightly caught off guard, but ends up just shrugging. “God, I don't know. Uh… I'm here, I'm queer, and I could really use a beer…?”

That's one thing Trini _does_ hear, so she can't stop herself from--not exactly laughing, but sort of--humming, and then saying, “Same.”

“Really?” Tommy leans forward to look past Kim, an almost suggestive smile on her face.

Trini doesn't know how to take it. Something about it rubs her the wrong way.

“Oh, yeah. We aren't straight _at all_ ,” Zack says, shaking his head. “Like, seriously, we're _so_ gay.”

“And bi,” Kim adds, and then Billy nods.

“Aren't you pan?”

Zack sighs, but he knows Kim only added onto that to mess with him. “ _Yes_ , but I was using it as a blanket statement. Whatever. You get the point.”

“I didn't realize that when people said _we flock together_ that it was actually a thing,” Tommy says. “Back home, I never had a Gay Squad T M.”

“Did you just try to trademark _gay squad_ out loud by saying the letters T and M?”

“Yes.”

Zack stares at her for a moment before saying, “Tommy, I mean this in the most platonic way possible, but I think you've stolen my heart.”

“Seriously? What did I do?” She asks. “Also, how do I _stop_ doing it?”

The others laugh at that, but Zack doesn't even look fazed. "You  _get_ me."

“Yo, no offence, but as long as it’s _platonic,_ that's fine by me.”

“Absolutely no offence taken.” He smiles and then shoots up some finger guns. “Is Tommy short for something?”

There's a beat of silence.

“No.” Her expression conveys the unspoken, _“That conversation is ending here_ ,” well enough for Zack to take the hint.

Then she decides to start up her own topic and guide the focus away from herself.

“So Hart probably told you why I was in detention, but what are you guys in for?”

 _Hart_.

Trini knows she's looking too much into these things. Zack and Jason refer to Kim as “Hart” all the time, so it isn't like it's just something Trini does. Also, it's her last name. _But_ , if Tommy wants to pull some actual _Breakfast Club_ references and starts calling her “Princess,” there might be some trouble.

At least she's self-aware of how ridiculous she's being.

“You’ve probably heard of mine. I punched a guy’s tooth out,” Kim says. This time she doesn't include the,  _"They put it back."_

Jason nods. “People still talk about my screw up, too. I, uh… snuck a bull into our rival teams locker room.”

“Nice. At least you fell from the top of the social ladder _gracefully_.”

Yeah… _gracefully_ . That isn't exactly how they'd describe _evading police_ and the _Amanda picture fiasco_ , but that stuff is staying a secret for a reason.

“I've got shitty attendance.” Zack shrugs. Sometimes he wishes he could have a _cool_ detention story.

They turn their attention to Billy, and he says, “Oh. I blew up my lunchbox. A couple of times now, actually.”

“You what?”

Billy nods. “It wasn't dangerous. No one was around when it exploded.”

Tommy’s still confused, but with the look she's getting from Jason, she's pretty sure it'd be best to move on.

Then they're all looking at Trini, who has zoned out again. She’s _very_ focused on the pretzels she's eating. Kimberly nudges her arm, and she looks up, slowly processing what they'd been talking about.

“I tore the door off of Kim’s locker, threw it into an open classroom, damaged school property, and then ran away.”

“ _What?_ ” She's just as confused now as she was for Billy's explanation, but _this_ is a different level of intense and weird.

“You might’ve come across a couple of doorless lockers. If you do, that’s their doing,” Zack says, gesturing at Trini and Kim.

Kim just rolls her eyes. “She had a reason behind it. People were writing some fucked up things on the door, and the school wasn’t doing anything about it. So… She took the situation into her own hands. Literally.”

“Damn.” Tommy sits back, shaking her head. “Wish I had a girlfriend that willing to get detention just to defend my honor.”

Kimberly thinks it’s hilarious, but Trini’s close to choking on those pretzels.

“A _what_?” She manages to get out

“God. Sorry,” Tommy says. “Did I get that wrong? You’re just kind of always together, and you look really close. I mean…” She gestures at them--or, specifically, at Kim’s hand that is currently rubbing Trini’s back.

 _But_ , that was technically just to calm her down from almost choking.

“Don’t worry about it,” Kim says. “We _are_ close, and you aren’t the first person to assume something like that.”

If Trini hadn’t had the reaction that she did, Kimberly would’ve said that Tommy _did_ get it right. From the conversation they had last Thursday, she had assumed _girlfriend_ was an okay thing to call each other. That they wouldn’t be advertising it to everyone, but if someone asked, they’d confirm. Obviously it isn’t something they’ve talked about enough.

The guys are confused by the reaction and how Kim responded, too, but they don’t say anything about it.

“So…” Tommy continues, leaning on the table in an attempt to appear smooth. “You’re both single, then.”

Kim raises an eyebrow at that, but Trini’s just more confused.

“Dude, I’m kidding. _Meaningless_ flirting.”

Trini’s still having trouble finding her chill.

Zack claps his hands down on the table. “ _So_ , what’d you think of detention, T? Tommy. Big T? Can I call you Big T?”

Oh, so now she’s taking Trini’s _own_ nickname, too.

“No.”

“Okay, uh… Tom--”

“How about you just stick with _Tommy_ for now?”

Zack nods. “Right. Sorry. I can do that. But seriously; detention?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. It was boring? And I guess those workbooks were pretty stupid.”

“ _Better Choices_.” Jason shakes his head. “We don’t even try to do them.”

“I tried _once_. But I fell asleep before I could get through the first page,” Zack says.

“The first page is the table of contents.”

Zack nods sadly. “Yes, I know… It was terrible.”

Trini zones out of the conversation again for the entire remainder of lunch. They didn’t have much time left anyway; she doesn’t miss out on much.

 

\---

 

“Were you okay earlier at lunch?” Kim asks as they pull away from the school and head towards the cliffs. “You seemed kind of… I don’t know. I guess every time Tommy said something, you came off as really… isolated.”

Trini shrugs. “I don’t _know_ her. It’s nothing personal. You know how long it took me to warm up to you guys, and even then we had the _saving the world burden_ to bond over.”

“Okay.” Kim can understand that. Sort of. “And when she indirectly called you my girlfriend… Did that _bother_ you?”

“It surprised me.”

“I only played along like we weren’t together because I wasn’t sure if you were okay with me saying anything. I know you were kind of already outed, but _we_ don’t have to be out yet. If you want to keep this just between us, we can do that. But…”

Trini shakes her head. “It’s just… I don’t know. I feel like _we_ don’t even know what our relationship is right now, and hearing her say it like that so casually--assuming and being right. It was weird to hear.”

“She had a point, though. About us always being together and _looking_ like we’re close. It’s why Amanda and them assumed before we had even talked about it.”

“I just don’t like being told who I am, or who I’m with, or what I’m doing before I can say it first. Even if they’re right,” Trini says. “And I don’t like the idea of hiding. But… God, it’d get worse. Wouldn’t it? If we went public?”

“Yeah, I think it would.”

Trini glances down at her hands before shrugging. “Not like we have anything to worry about. It isn’t like we’re _actually_ girlfriends right now. No labels. No… anything.”

“Trini, if you want--”

“I don’t know what I want. We should put that off for a while anyway. Spend our time figuring out how to morph again.”

 

\---

 

Kimberly has snuck into Trini’s room in the middle of the night several times now, so she thinks it’s something Trini should be used to. But, for some reason, it still surprises her when Kim is texting that she’s coming over and ends up climbing in through the window.

Trini doesn’t sneak into Kim’s room very often. It’s happened two or three times--she can’t remember--so she thinks Kim would at least be a little surprised to see her climbing that tree and pulling herself through into the room. She didn’t even send a message to let her know she was coming. But, instead, Kim’s waiting at the window before Trini’s even made it to the top of the tree. She decides not to say anything about it once she's inside.

“What are you doing here?”

“I didn’t feel anything,” Trini says, and immediately realizes that was a bad way to word what she’s trying to say. “I mean… I felt the absence of something. If that makes sense. Like… numbness? I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Kimberly didn’t think _numb_ was even a thing that the others would be able to feel. It _feels_ exactly how Trini described. Like… nothing. “And you knew it was me?”

“Well… The closer two Rangers are, the stronger the connection. Or however Zordon described it.”

“Thanks for coming over, then. But I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong.”

Trini nods, and there’s a beat of silence that follows. “Do you want me to leave?”

“I…” She hesitates. “I’d rather be alone right now, yeah. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. I get it.”

Kim’s relieved to hear her sound genuine instead of passive aggressive.

“You’ll be okay?”

“I’ll let you know if I change my mind.”

 

\---

 

The week is going _fine_ until it’s the end of classes on Thursday and Trini has to go back to the Biology room to grab her textbook. She almost doesn’t notice that something's different because the vandalism on random desks is so common, but Kim’s name scribbled onto the surface of her desk catches Trini's attention.

They don’t have a locker to write on, so they just go for a desk in one of her classes. Maybe more than one class, but Trini won’t be able to know that for sure.

After taking a closer look at the desk, she doesn’t think it was Amanda or any of the cheerleaders. The handwriting isn’t very neat, and what’s actually written isn’t as… It doesn’t look like much thought was put into it. It was most likely some pissed off football players, or some buddies of that guy who got the broken nose. But Trini doesn’t care about _who_ did it. It’s still stuff Kim doesn’t need to see right now.

There isn’t anything she can do about it, so she just sighs, leaves the room, and hopes a janitor will get to it over night.

Zack catches up to her the next morning when he notices how early she is. She doesn’t explain what’s going on; just tells him she needs to check on something and he ends up following her to the Biology room. The door is open, but the teacher isn’t there yet. And the desk hasn’t been touched. She’ll have to clean it herself.

She finds some paper towels and cleaning spray in one of the cabinets, and Zack stands off to the side watching her.

“Why don’t you tell a teacher about this?”

Trini shakes her head. “I don’t trust the school with stuff like this anymore. Cleaning it and people writing new stuff is one thing, but they aren’t even trying to crack down on _who’s_ doing it. And lockers are more noticeable than desks. They’d just leave this for a week before trying to clean it.” Scrubbing the marker--sharpie--whatever it is--isn’t going too well, but she isn’t giving up just yet. “And I don’t want her to see this. These past few nights haven't been going very well for her; this’d only make it worse.”

“She’s lucky to have you on her side.”

She scoffs. “I don’t even know what I’m doing. I'm just..." She trails off, and then lowers her voice. "She’s way out of my league.”

Zack shakes his head. “Come on, T. Don’t say that. You know it’s not true.”

Trini doesn’t respond to that. “This isn’t gonna come off. Help me switch our desks.”

Switching the desks is only a temporary fix, but it's all she can do right now.

“What?”

“I’m putting her desk where mine is. You grab mine to replace hers.”

Even after they’ve done that and left to go to their own classes, Zack wants to go back to the end of that conversation. To ask where the hell _that_ kind of thinking came from. But Trini cuts him off every time he tries to bring it back up.

 

\---

 

“Okay. So, we’re calm…” Jason says, closing his eyes and hoping the others are doing the same. “And then it's… _morphin' time_.”

“That didn’t work.”

He opens his eyes and glares at his left. “Thank you, _Trini_. I couldn’t tell.”

“You know what, Jason? How about you shut the fuck up,” Trini says. “I can’t morph _at all_ , and you still have half of your suit. Don’t get sassy with me.”

“Guys, don’t fight about this. We need to be working together,” Billy tries to say.

Kimberly nods. “Exactly. That’s the entire point of morphing. We have to be on each other’s wavelength.”

“Don’t count on that happening anytime soon,” Trini mumbles, and Zack shakes his head.

“Angst children.”

Jason’s armor begins to fade away from his shoulder, and then he’s glaring again. “Wow. _Thanks_ , Trini.”

She had barely said _anything_. Why is it suddenly her fault? “What are you talking about? This is all you, dude.”

“You’re the one yelling at me about how superior I am for being able to morph so much.”

“Who’s yelling?” She asks, even more confused. “I don’t _yell_ , Jason. But, _you_ are definitely yelling.”

He shakes his head, trying to focus on the Morphing Grid again. “Sorry that _yelling_ is the only way I know how to argue. I can’t get a word in with my father otherwise.”

“Don’t fucking go there. I have my parents yelling at me, too, but you don’t see me parroting that. We aren’t about to have a, _'_ _Whose home life is crappier?'_  contest right now.”

“Can both of you _shut up_ for two seconds?” Kimberly says. “This approach is not working. And, Jason, stop blaming Trini for this. It isn’t her fault.”

“Oh, no, it is. He’s right about one thing. It is my fault that we have this problem in the first place, but _not specifically right now_.”

Jason throws his arms up in frustration. “I didn’t just spontaneously lose my armor on my own.”

“ _That’s exactly what you did, Jason,”_ Trini tries to say calmly, but fails.

Billy nods a bit, but his voice is quieter than everyone else’s. “She’s right.”

He doesn’t think it’ll actually work, but Zack figures he should at least try to step in. “Guys, we just need to--”

Jason closes his eyes. “Not now, Zack.”

“Don’t yell at him. He’s trying to help,” Trini says.

“Kim’s right. _This_ isn’t working. So _he’s_ not helping.”

“It’s the thought that counts,” Zack mumbles, and Billy’s nodding at him.

“You _are_ helping, Zack.”

“Thank you, Blue.”

Jason lets out a deep breath and shakes his head. “You know what? This _is_ her fault. This is about us being on the same wavelength? How long have you been hiding stuff from us? Only talking about your problems when we feel them and bring it up to you. You froze out there in the middle of that fight, Trini. You just stopped. And I know that you’ve got history with Rita, more than me or Kim or Zack, but Billy died out there because of her. He didn’t freeze the other day, and he isn’t having any trouble morphing. And why do you think Kim’s having almost just as much trouble as you are? You’re spending so much time together, but not doing anything about whatever the hell is going on between you two. You don’t think that’s fucking up our connection? Because it is.”

Everyone’s silent for a moment before Zack quietly says, “What the hell, Jace?”

And then Trini processes what he said. “Excuse me. Say that again? ‘Cause I don’t think I heard that right.”

“We should’ve expected it, I guess. You can’t even communicate with your own family, I don’t know _why_ we ever thought you could talk to us.”

“Jason…” Billy says this time.

Kimberly’s just watching Trini because she can _feel_ how Trini’s ready to just wail on Jason. They don’t need another fight right now. But because they’re at the grid, Trini can jump down from her platform and get to Jason before Kim can get to her. Trini punches Jason before anyone can process what’s happening.

Jason recovers quickly and punches right back.

“Guys stop it!”

They don’t know who said it, but it doesn’t matter because they’re still very determined to keep going at each other. Until Kimberly risks getting hit and puts herself between the two of them, pushing Trini back, and Zack is running around to grab Jason and keep him back, too.

“Get off of me,” Jason says, struggling to get out of Zack’s hold, but he isn’t successful.

“Zordon?” Billy asks, looking up at the large screen that has been oddly quiet.

The only thing he responds with is, “If you insist on fighting, do it in the Pit.”

“That’s not helpful, Big Z,” Zack says, still trying to focus on holding Jason back.

Kimberly is more successful with calming Trini down, having now let go of her, but still standing in front of her to block her view of the boys. “It’s not worth it, T. You’re both pissed right now. You need to cool off.”

“Who the _hell_ does he think he is?”

She sighs. “I don’t know.”

“ _He’s_ our fucking leader? Whatever. Good job keeping your team together by yelling at me about how much this _isn’t_ your fault, you jackass,” Trini tries to call over Kim’s shoulder.

Billy steps forward, now on their side of the room. “Should we try talking this out, or postpone that for later?”

“I think we need to take some time to calm down,” Kim says, stepping back so she isn’t blocking Trini anymore. “Jason needs to think about what he’s doing before he pisses any of us off even more.”

Zack reluctantly lets go of Jason. “Are you gonna be okay, T?”

She sighs, shaking her head. “I’m gonna go home. See you guys later.”

They wait for her to leave before doing anything else, and then Kim’s walking forward and lightly shoving Jason’s shoulders.

“What is wrong with you?”

Jason still looks like he’s trying to calm down, and Zack’s quickly stepping forward to put himself between the two of them.

“Are we gonna have to hold you back, too?”

Kimberly shakes her head. “No. I just want to know where the hell that came from.”

“She said it herself that this was her fault,” Jason says.

“That isn’t an excuse to be a dick. You remember when she finally _did_ open up to us? She came out to us at that first bonfire, right? And then she asked if we were just Rangers or if we were friends, and we couldn’t answer her. Why do you think she wanted to close herself off again after that? She _was_ talking to us, Jason. But after yelling at her like that, I can see why she wouldn’t want to anymore.”

Jason doesn’t respond.

“And you know why she doesn’t want to talk to her family, so _why_ would you compare us to them?”

He isn’t responding because he doesn’t want to admit that he was wrong. Kimberly’s hoping that’ll change after he cools down.

 

\---

 

**Pink Lemonade**

**[princess.hart | trini//]**

**princess.hart:** Jason was wrong, u know

 **princess.hart:** About us driving the team apart

 **princess.hart:** If you could feel that it was me the other night, then I think it’s pretty obvious that we’re way more connected than not

 **trini//:** guess that makes sense

 **trini//:** w/e I don’t have anything to say to him rn

 **princess.hart:** Yeah, I don’t know where that came from

 **trini//:** don’t care

 **trini//:** I don’t even want to talk abt it anymore

 **princess.hart:** ok

 **princess.hart:** Are you home right now?

 **trini//:** where else would I be?

 **princess.hart:** You in your room?

 **trini//:** yep

 **princess.hart:** I’m gonna be at ur window in like 5 minutes

 **princess.hart:** I won’t stay, but I wanted to stop by for a sec

 **trini//:** ok… there a reason why, or?

 **princess.hart:** You’ll see. Just smth I want to say real quick in person.

 **trini//:** alright...

 

\---

 

When Kimberly shows up and Trini opens the window, she sort of hovers there instead of fully coming into the room. Trini stays on the other side of the desk, confused, but waiting for whatever it is they’re about to talk about.

“Zack told me about what you did with that desk in Bio.”

Oh. That.

“Thank you.”

Trini shrugs. “No big deal.”

“Trini... You could’ve just warned me that it’d be there when I got to class. You didn’t have to wash it off or switch our desks, but you did anyway, and… I just… _Thank you_.”

“Yeah.”

“And I’m not…” Kim continues, but she almost looks like she doesn't want to say anything more. That it'd be better to just leave it at that and go. “I’m not out of your league.”

Trini looks up, shaking her head. “I’m gonna kill him.”

“No, he didn’t do it to be a jerk. He…” She trails off, and then sighs. “That's not the point. If anything, you’re too good for me. But this isn't something we're going to agree on, so how about we compromise and say we’re both more than good enough for each other?”

“Okay.”

"And I  _am_ going to leave now, but I don't want to put off figuring out what's going on between us. Because I don't think either of us knew what 'no labels,' 'let whatever happens, happen,' meant. So we never did anything about it. And I  _want_ to do something about it. I want there to  _be_ an _us_."

Trini nods. "Me too."

"So, we can talk later. But for now... Don't freak out."

Trini almost takes a step back when she realizes Kim is moving more into the room, but she keeps herself where she is. "What?"

"I said don't freak out."

"Yeah, but if that's  _all_ you say, and you don't tell me why, what makes you think I _wouldn't_ freak out?"

"Oh my god. Just shut up and come here."

Kim moves forward, a knee on the desk to brace herself as she tries to get closer. But even when Kim's closed almost all of distance between them, Trini still isn’t entirely sure of what the hell is happening. And then they’re kissing, and Trini’s trying to keep herself stable by holding onto the desk, but she ends up knocking half of its contents to the floor instead.

When Kim tries to pull away, Trini finds a way to keep holding onto her; grabs Kim's shirt in one hand, the other going up to her neck. She didn’t have enough time to properly experience that kiss--she was mostly trying to get over the initial shock--so they aren't done just yet. Also, she’s been waiting for this long enough that she’s going to get more than just _one_ kiss.

Kim eventually manages to break away from Trini successfully, despite both of their reluctance.

“I told you I was stopping by for a _second_.”

She's still stunned for a solid ten seconds before she can talk again. “You’re just gonna leave me hanging like this?”

Kimberly shrugs, backing up carefully enough to avoid causing a bigger mess of the desk. She hangs in the window for a second, and then says, “I’ll have to come up with a way to make it up to you.”

She's gone before Trini can respond, so she ends up muttering, “Damn,” only to herself.

Considering that whole fight she had with Jason, Trini was dead set on calling the day a total disaster. But, after  _that_...She's going to call it a good day. A  _better_ than good day.

 

\---

 

The plan was for everyone to meet up at the train car after school “in about an hour and a half.” Zack had suggested it because he wants a chance to hang out with Tommy outside of school and without _The Man_ around. The girls get there early. Tommy having walked, and Kimberly driving herself and Trini. They had expected to wait, but Kimberly spots Jason’s car a small walk away from where they’re supposed to meet up, and Tommy’s already walking away to scope out the area. Jason was supposed to be driving Billy up here with him, so if they can catch up with the boys, they'll only need to wait on Zack. And it shouldn't take him long to join them.

At first, they don’t see anything. It's quiet, and there isn't anything that stands out as _odd_. But when Kim and Trini get close enough to the car, they get a rush of panic. And… heat?

Kimberly’s trying to say, “No, wait,” because Tommy’s pressing her face up against the window to look _into_ the car, and she knows what _that_ feeling means, but it’s too late.

She jumps away with her hands over her eyes. “Oh, god. Shit. Fuck. Why-- I don’t know them well enough to see that. _Fuck_.”

“Do we want to ask?” Kim asks carefully.

“Uh, take a wild guess.”

“Were their clothes off…?”

Tommy shakes her head. “They had pants, but does it really matter? Am I still scarred? Absolutely.”

“It could’ve been worse,” Trini says, shrugging.

Tommy has a hand to her chest, looking up at the sky. “Dear God, I’m a nice person. Generally speaking. Why… _Why_ would you let me look in that window? Why…? I don’t ask for much. I don’t ask for anything, actually. Maybe that’s why you didn’t have my back...”

“What the hell is happening?” Trini whispers. “Is she having some sort of crisis right now?”

“So this is _my_ fault, then… Well… Fuck past me for screwing myself over. What a bitch.”

“What?” Trini asks again, but this time it’s mostly to herself.

Billy and Jason finally get out of the car, Billy smiling as he says, “Hey, guys! You’re early.”

Jason, however, isn’t looking all that cheery. “Yeah… You’re early…”

“Whatever.” Kim shakes her head. “You’re the ones who decided to risk hooking up down here, _where we said we’d meet up_.”

“The sun’s still out, dude,” Trini adds. They didn't even have the cover of night to keep themselves more hidden.

The sound of footsteps jogging towards them is what catches all of their attention and stops Jason from any kind of response. They all turns towards the sound to see Zack walking up to join them. “‘Sup, guys. I was looking for you up there.”

Tommy nods, pointing at Jason and Billy. “Yeah, we were looking for them.”

“Why do I feel tension?”

“Your friends have no fear. But I, unfortunately, now have a lot of fears. Namely, looking into seemingly abandoned cars.”

“What?”

Kim tries to think of a casual way to word it, but ends up saying, “They were hooking up. Sort of. Almost.”

“Oh. Damn, guys… Risky.”

Trini notices that Zack has an odd look on his face for a moment before he snaps back into his smiling upbeat self again.

Weird.

She isn't looking forward to this six person bonding experience; whatever it ends up being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, when I did my proof read of this ch. I got three paragraphs into the first section before it ended and I had written, "Ok yea put the rest here i’m too tired sorry future me" bc I forgot I skipped that part to write everything else
> 
> Fun fact: If I hadn't read over this, you would've had that instead of the entire section where Kim meets Trini's brothers, and I honestly still can't stop laughing abt it


	14. Maybe Tommy's Kinda, Sorta, a Little Bit Cool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I've got classes starting up this week and I'm not sure if that's going to have a big impact on my updating. I don't think it will, but if it does, you'll know the reason why  
> Bright side of that: I only have to be on campus 3 days out of the week, and I'm an English major so I'm gonna be writing all the time anyway. Updates shouldn't be too delayed
> 
> Also, this chapter is kind of heavy w/ the group chats, so I hope y'all don't mind that too much
> 
> Thanks for sticking w/ this, and I'm loving all of your comments!

There are plenty of open seats around the (fireless) fire pit, but something compels Trini to hop on top of the train car instead of being at the same level as everyone else. Kim joining her isn’t _surprising_ , really, but she had been expecting to sit up there on her own. Having someone next to her is actually a relief.

“Uh, T? What’d you get up there for?” Zack asks, glancing around at the others who have adopted _his_ more ‘traditional’ seating choice.

When Trini doesn’t answer right away, Kim decides to help her out. “It makes her feel tall.”

She doesn't mind the height joke. Normally she might be more “offended” or critical of it, and would playfully punch Kim in the arm, similarly to how she might do to Zack, but it draws the attention away from something potentially being wrong. [Also, Kim's kind of right about it making her feel tall.]

“So why are you up there with her?”

“‘Cause she likes me, and I’m cuter than you,” Kim says, smiling and kicking her feet out against the side of the train a couple of times.

Zack looks at the ground, seriously contemplating that answer. He shakes his head and lowers his voice to say, “I want to argue with her, but she's _right_ …”

Kimberly nudges Trini’s side with her elbow. “You okay? You seem tense again.”

Trini shrugs. “It’s just kind of weird being up here and having someone else in the group.”

“I don’t think she has anyone else around here. And even if she wanted to go find other people to hang out with, we really are the island of misfit toys. If she fits in with _us_ , I don’t think we should push her away.”

“I’m not saying we should _push her away_ . It’s just… The five of us have this _thing_ , you know? And being up here… It’s different when we’re at school, but here… It gives me a weird feeling.”

“It isn’t like we’re telling her about the _Ranger_ thing. That’s always going to be _ours_ ,” Kim says. “She isn’t going to change anything, T. Inviting her to hang out with us once or twice a week isn’t going to hurt anyone.”

Trini nods so they can move on, but she doesn’t really believe that.

Kimberly turns back to the others. “Actually, are we going to acknowledge what just happened with J and B?”

Jason shrugs as Billy looks to him for help answering. “We’ve been talking about it for a while, and I asked Billy to try keeping it between us so we could get used to it on our own time. I just wanted time to figure things out.”

“Looked like you were well past _figuring things out_ from what I saw,” Tommy says.

“Yeah, it sort of got away from us.” Jason shakes his head almost immediately after finishing his sentence. “Not Billy. It got away from me.”

Billy nods. “I really wanted to tell you guys. It was weird not saying anything about it around you, when Jason and I would talk about it so much.”

“We can talk about it more later. Right now we’re here to hang out and have fun, or whatever Zack calls it.”

Zack claps his hands together and loudly says, “ _Right._ Let’s move on. You guys wanna play a game? Truth or Dare… Truth or Truth… Never Have I Ever…?”

“Are we in middle school now?” Trini asks, and Zack rolls his eyes.

“Whatever, T. You don’t have to play.”

“No I want to…” Trini’s response is almost muttered under her breath, but it’s at least loud enough for Kim to hear. If anyone else heard it, they don’t say anything about it.

Instead, Tommy says, “What the hell is ‘Truth or Truth’?”

“It’s exactly what it sounds like,” Zack says, as if it’s obvious.

Tommy still doesn’t understand. “But how is that a game…?”

“You’ll see. Look, I’ll start. _Tommy_ ,” Zack says. “If you’re cool with talking about it, did you move here for a reason?”

She shrugs. “My family just needed a change in scenery. There isn’t really a big story there.”

“Cool. Now you ask someone a question. That’s how it’s a game. Like Spin the Bottle, but without kissing.”

“So without the fun part?”

“Exactly.”

Tommy pauses. “Alright. My question is for all of you guys. You were here during those attacks, right? But were you actually _in the middle_ of them? ‘Cause I was in the last one, but I blacked out and didn't get to see much.”

“Yeah. They got pretty… intense,” Jason says.

“So you _were_ there?” She sits up straighter, more interested in the conversation. “You saw how beat up I got. Do you have any battle scars?”

It's a normal enough question to have. Especially considering how _new_ and _strange_ the attacks have been, and throw in that Tommy’s also new here, it makes sense that she'd want to talk about the most interesting thing that has happened to this town. But that doesn't stop it from bothering Trini.

She knows how that sounds. Something Tommy said is rubbing her the wrong way; big surprise. But this is different. She _does_ have battle scars. They don't bother her unless she's having a particularly terrible nightmare or she's trained too hard, but bringing attention to them--on purpose or not--makes her hyper-aware that the entire Rita situation actually happened. It wasn't something she made up in her head.

She absentmindedly rubs her neck as she stares at the empty fire pit.

“ _Well_ ,” Zack says. “A rock thing punched me and I almost flew into a trash can. It’s sort of… poetic, in a way.”

“I think most of us were trying to stay out of the crossfire. I think if any of us have scars, they aren’t physical,” Jason says, shaking his head.

Tommy nods. “Yeah, I get that. So this kind of thing isn't _normal_ around here?”

“Not usually.”

“Thank god. I don't think I could handle living here if giant rocks attacking the town is a regular occurrence.”

Unfortunately, although it _wasn't_ normal, it certainly is _now_. But they aren't going to mention anything about that to her.

“Which one of us is supposed to ask the next question?” Billy asks.

“Uh… I guess I'll do it,” Jason says, glancing around the group. “Kim. We know you go cliff diving sometimes. Have you ever gone skinny dipping down there?”

“Come on, Jace. That’s just unsanitary.” Kimberly smiles, shaking her head. “But, yeah. I have.”

Zack gasps. “ _Kimberly_. Look, I admire your bravery, but that’s straight up nasty.”

“Oh, I know.”

Tommy watches them carefully, trying to determine if they’re joking or not. She ends up deciding they look _way_ too serious for it to be a joke. “Damn, guys. I knew you were badass, but I didn’t realize you were _cliff diving/skinny dipping_ badass. I feel like I’ve totally underestimated all of you.”

“Don’t worry.” Zack smiles. “If you spend enough time around us, you’ll absorb some of our awesomeness.”

“Just some?”

“You seem pretty awesome yourself already. You can't have _all_ of our awesomeness on top of your own.”

She leans back in her seat, nodding. “That's fair.”

“ _Kim_ ,” Zack says suddenly. “Who is your next choice for _Truth or Truth_?”

Coming up with questions isn't the hard part. It's coming up with things they can mention around Tommy without blowing their cover or getting too personal too fast. _And_ , they also need to make sure she's included in the game/discussion. “Tommy…? Um… Okay, this is an important one, so really think about it. How do you feel about doughnuts?”

“You mean, like… Just regular doughnuts?” Tommy asks, and then Kim nods. “I don’t know. They’re okay, I guess…”

“A lackluster answer, but I’ll let it slide…” Zack says. Kim was honestly only asking it as a joke, but she knows how seriously Zack takes his love for doughnuts. _The team’s_ love for doughnuts. If Tommy had said she doesn’t like them _at all_ , they definitely would’ve had a problem.

“I feel like I’m missing something here…”

“Doughnuts are… life. Krispy Kreme, specifically, but that’s still under construction, so we settle for what we can get.”

Jason shakes his head. “He’s got a special place in his heart for those things. You’ll get used to it.”

“I’m sure I will.” Tommy smiles. “So, my turn again? Uh… Zack. Z. Can I call you Z?”

Zack nods. “Most do.”

“Cool. So do you hang out _here_ very often?”

“Yep. It’s my thing. My place. I live close by.” Zack gestures towards Kim, and then motions vaguely behind himself. “My girl Kimmy does, too, but she’s got dibs on _that_ area over there.”

“So you own the entire mountain and mines area.”

“Yes.”

Billy’s about to say that they _don’t_ own this area, but Jason leans over to explain that they’re just joking around. And then Zack directs his next question at Billy.

“How’s your mom, and also would she be down for a… movie night?”

Trini, currently leaning on Kimberly, rolls her eyes. “I swear to god, Zack. I can’t get away with another movie night right now. Last time I barely had enough time to get in my house, be seen by my parents, and jump out the window to catch up with you guys.”

“I thought we were going to Jason’s again to continue watching _The Land Before Time_ with Pearl,” Billy says.

“ _Well_ , I wanted to invite Tommy,” he says, throwing a look in her direction. “And I feel like we should start something new to ease her into the place. Jason’s can get chaotic, and Billy’s mom makes the _absolute_ best snacks.”

Kimberly waits for them to mention her place, but it doesn’t come up. “Wow, okay. Why don’t you just get on with it and say my place sucks?”

“It doesn’t suck; you’re just specific about when you let us come over.” Zack pauses, glancing at Trini before adding in a lower voice, “ _Some_ of us, anyway.”

“I think she’d be fine with it, but I’ll have to ask to be sure,” Billy says. “What would we watch?”

“First of all, Tommy would you be down for that? No hard feelings if you aren’t.”

Tommy shrugs, looking around the group at all of them. “Uh, sure…? I mean, if you want me there, then I don’t see why not.”

“What kind of movies do you like?”

“I dunno. I’m not picky.” She pauses. “That’s a lie; I’m super picky. Mostly just indecisive. You’d be better off choosing something on your own.”

“Okay. B, why don’t you choose something this time?”

“Oh. Okay. I’ll look at what I have and get back to you with some options.”

“Sweet.”

Billy looks up at the train, having decided who he’d question. “Trini, have you…? Trini?”

“I think she’s out, dude,” Tommy says, also looking in that direction.

Zack almost doesn’t buy it because she was _just_ talking to them. But, he also knows how out of whack her sleep schedule can be. It isn’t that far-fetched that she’d be able to fall asleep that quickly.

“Seriously?” Kim asks, trying to look down at Trini, but not succeeding. She thought Trini felt oddly calm, but wasn’t questioning it because she didn’t want to jinx anything.

“Yeah, just let her be. She could use the sleep,” Jason says. And he really means it, but he also knows that Trini wouldn’t have taken it seriously if she had been awake to hear it. But if he wants to be a good leader--a good _friend_ \--he needs to apologize for being a dick.

Billy ends up asking Jason a question instead, and from there they move on. It doesn’t last much longer; mostly because they run out of good questions to ask each other and it’s starting to get dark. Before they wake Trini up and head home, Tommy holds everyone up to tell them something.

“I just wanna… I don’t mean to be sappy, but I just wanna thank you guys for sort of… taking me into your group when you really didn’t have to. That was… that was really cool. I’m not used to this sort of thing.”

Zack almost jumps out of his chair. “You’re awesome. Why wouldn’t we want to hang out with you?”

Tommy smiles, but shakes her head. “You barely know me, dude.”

“I know you’re awesome. That’s good enough for me.”

“Alright, well… Thanks.”

“Yeah. We’ve got you, buddy.”

 

\---

 

The five of them “talking about Jason and Billy later” ends up just being Trini getting information solely from Billy. Before she can jump into another one on one with Jason, Trini would rather have a general idea of what’s going on with him. And now that their _thing_ is out in the open, Billy can talk about it all he wants.

“All he wants” turns out to be a lot.

For a while he was just talking about how the two of them got closer, and the conversations they had before Jason asked if they could be more official and exclusive. Trini stopped him when he mentioned the first time they kissed. She tried redirecting the topic to why Jason was keeping it a secret and why he’s been acting so… not himself.

“He’s scared to tell people,” Billy says simply. “We’ve talked about it a lot, he told me it isn’t because he’s ashamed of me or being with me, but he said he’s scared of how people at school and how his family would react. Well, how his _dad_ might react. Because right now everything’s between us, and it’s nice and there isn’t anything we have to worry about. He doesn’t like pressure.”

“I can understand being scared, but I don’t know if I can believe that’s all that’s going on with him. Did he say _why_ , or… Did something happen?” Trini isn’t sure of what direction she needs to take with these questions, so she’s winging it.

Billy hesitates before shaking his head. “He doesn’t want me to tell you that…”

“Okay, but why would he be afraid to tell _us_ ? I know that _you_ know we have your backs.”

“I asked him that, too, and he said everyone else has their own problems that they’re dealing with. Zack and his mom, you and your nightmares, and Kim and the rough patches she’s been having. And I haven’t been doing as well as Jason said I am. He was over exaggerating because he was upset.”

Jason keeping his problems to himself because he doesn’t want to make anyone else’s problems worse? That seems to be something they all have a problem with doing.

“I tried to tell him that we would still be here for him like we always have been, but he just wanted time… When you found out about us, he freaked out because you weren’t finding out _from_ either of us. But he didn’t address it, so all of the stress was building up to him being irritable and rude and eventually blowing up at you. He wants to apologize, but he’s trying to come up with the best way to do it.”

Trini sighs. “We have so many problems…”

“We do.”

“Thanks for talking to me, B.”

Billy nods. “It’s no problem, but I think you should talk to Jason, too. Maybe when he apologizes, because if he can tell you the stuff he didn’t want _me_ to tell you, you might understand what happened better.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll hear him out.”

 

\---

 

Jason rubs the back of his neck, glancing at the ground as if it has the answers for what he needs to say. It isn’t that he doesn’t like owning up to his mistakes; it just isn’t easy to _say it_. “Look, Trini, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said any of that stuff about you tearing the team apart, and I shouldn’t have hit you back. I… I haven’t been in a good place, and I wasn’t handling it like I should have.”

Damn right. Trini nods, keeping a straight face. “What’s been going on, dude? Billy tried explaining stuff, but he said there were things you’d want to tell me yourself. And don’t brush that off; you need to talk to us, too.”

He looks back and forth at her and Kim, and glances back at Billy once before sighing. “Alright, I uh… I got into an arguement with my dad a couple of weeks ago. He was home, and I guess the news was on so we were talking about politics. I kept pushing the conversation, and… Long story short, he isn’t going to be buying the house a rainbow flag anytime soon. I don’t know what might happen if he finds out about me and Billy, and having that in my head bled into how I thought about everything else. I know I don’t have to worry about you guys or Zack, and my mom and Pearl are most likely on my side, too. That’s all that should matter to me. It was dumb, but it wasn’t on purpose.”

“That’s not dumb, J. We get it.”

Jason nods. “Yeah, but that’s not everything. I’ve been on both of your backs about not punching people--among other things--but you aren’t the violent ones. _I_ am. I know that. I latched onto how Kim broke that guy’s nose, and ran with it to keep myself distracted. I’m really sorry.”

Jason’s waiting on one of them to respond, but Trini’s still watching him, waiting in case he wants to add something more. Kim has to nudge her to get her to realize what Jason is pausing for.

“Oh, uh. Apology accepted, I guess.”

Kim nods. “Same here.”

“I think someone needs to take over my leader position for a while,” Jason says, finally relieved at getting everything out on the table.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Kimberly starts to say, but Trini doesn’t agree.

“Actually, that might not be a bad idea. It makes more sense for us to trade off every once in awhile instead of Jason shouldering _everything_ all the time.”

Jason nods in agreement. “Does anyone _want_ to take the lead?”

“Even though I’d be great at leading you guys, I can’t handle that stress right now,” Trini says. “But… just hear me out, because I know how this sounds. And don’t tell him _I’m_ the one who said this, but I think we should consider the fact that _Zack_ can almost fully morph right now. He knows what he’s doing more than any of us do.”

Kimberly nods. “Yeah, you don’t want me as a leader. I’d end up blowing the Pit up somehow.”

“I could do it, but I think Zack would do a better job at keeping us on track because even now Jason sometimes has to let me know when I should slow down and save an explanation for later,” Billy adds.

“So we just need to make sure he’s okay with that. Do you think he’ll be up for it?” Jason asks, and Trini shrugs.

“No idea. Let’s just go find him and figure this out now.”

It doesn’t take them long to meet up with Zack and pitch their idea of him taking the reigns to lead the team. At first, he doesn’t have a reaction. And then he smiles and almost quietly says, “Are you serious?”

“Very serious, dude. Swear.” Jason reaches out to pat him on the back a couple of times.

So they can assume that the smile means a _yes_?

“Zack? Are you crying?” Trini asks, but instead of getting an answer, Zack pulls her and Jason--the two people closest to him--into a hug.

“If my arms were longer I’d grab B and K, too,” he says, smiling even more. “I love you guys so much; I won’t let you down.”

“I hope we’re right about this,” Trini mumbles. By “we” she’s mostly referring to herself. It was technically _her_ idea.

“As my first order of business…” Zack lowers his arms and takes a step back. “I think we should go walk around town and see if we notice anything weird. We haven't seen or heard any activity since the last Putty attack, and there's still the new Green Ranger out there that we need to pin down. If we can at least figure out who they are or where they're staying… maybe we can do something to keep them under wraps until the evil wears off. Sound good?”

Okay, so maybe Zack as a leader really _is_ a good idea.

 

\---

 

They don’t find anything out of the ordinary on their first patrol of the town, but Zack still thinks they should check again a couple more times. It doesn’t make sense that they’d get two incidents of Putties coming back into town and see a flash of the new Ranger, and then have everything go back to normal. Is it possible that Zordon was right and the “evil energy” could’ve drained itself out by now? Maybe. But none of them believe that. They aren’t going to make the mistake of letting their guard down just because things _look_ okay.

It’s something they try not to think about during school. Not only do they need to focus on work, but now that they’re spending time with Tommy they don’t need to slip up and say something Ranger related around her.

But _slipping up_ doesn’t turn out to be the hard part for Trini. She was trying to stay calm and give Tommy an actual chance--especially since everyone else likes her and she hasn’t _done_ anything to send up any red flags. And for the most part things are going okay. But that _meaningless flirting_ that Tommy likes to do? Trini just doesn’t get it.

It isn’t directed towards Billy anymore, and Jason rarely gets a comment thrown his way--mostly because Billy and Jason are now (low key) an official thing and she doesn’t want to overstep or make anyone uncomfortable. And now she’s backing off of Trini because she knows how to read a situation, and Trini’s reactions to the flirting are mostly confusion and silence or a quiet, “Yeah…”

Maybe an internal, _“What the hell did that wink mean?”_ or wondering what the deal is with Tommy calling her _Gomez_ . Last names just seem to be a _thing_ with her.

 _But_ that leaves Zack and Kimberly who are _totally into_ it and usually flirt back.

It gets weird on the days Zack isn’t there.

Weird for Trini--not anyone else.

It doesn’t even make sense. Trini knows that she needs to get over it, and try to _talk_ to her at the very least. Having another friend isn’t going to be a bad thing. And having another _female_ friend would probably be nice. She makes a silent deal with herself to chill the fuck out and be civil for a while shortly before Kim calls her out for the way she _has_ been acting.

She says that the excuse of them not knowing each other isn’t really working anymore--the way Trini acted around them the first few days of knowing each other is different from the way she’s acting around Tommy now. In Kim’s words, Trini’s “kind of being a bitch”.

She kind of is. Trini isn’t going to argue with that.

Kimberly also says that she can’t come up with very many explanations for _why_ she’s being so “less than friendly”. Trini recognizes what the look on Kim’s face means, and she shakes her head.

“I honestly thought it was jealousy at first, but I don’t think that’s what it really is. I just get a weird feeling from her.” It’d be so much easier if jealousy was all it was. Is it a part of it? Yes, but it isn’t everything. There’s something else.

“What _kind_ of weird feeling? What does that mean?”

“I don’t know. I just…” She shakes her head again. “I don’t know. I’m being dumb.”

“Yeah, maybe a little.”

Between the morphing, and the relationship drama, and what’s going on in all of their heads, there’s a lot that isn’t exactly going _well_ for any of them. “Look, I’ll chill out and give her a chance. That’s all I can promise right now.”

Kimberly might be able to understand Trini’s hesitance if she actually had a _reason_ for it, but she doesn’t. Nothing that isn’t just a vague hand wave described as a _weird feeling_. That doesn’t mean much. “Okay.”

 

\---

 

**Black and Yellow**

**[lil z | trini//]**

**lil z:** you want me to be honest and spill the beans??

 **lil z:** you want me to BARE MY SOUL to u?

 **lil z:** is that what u want, t???

 **trini//:** what

 **lil z:** you want answers abt my love life and why i’m quote unquote “acting weirder than usual every now and then”

 **trini//:** Zack, you don’t have to say quote unquote if you’re actually using quotation marks around the phrase. That’s normally a verbal thing

 **trini//:** also, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to…?

 **lil z:** so i love u and kim

 **trini//:** ok…

 **lil z:** but i low key (high key) SUPER love jason and billy

 **lil z:** nbd, but unless a miracle happens, i am just to be on the sidelines… watching from afar

 **trini//:** you’re into Jason and Billy?

 **lil z:** i am

 **trini//:** the way Jason and Billy are already into each other?

 **lil z:** yes

 **trini//:** oh dude

 **lil z:** yep

 **trini//:** maybe you should talk to them abt it

 **lil z:** trini, i have one simple question for u

 **lil z:** are you INSANE?

 **trini//:** you still call me “crazy girl” so I think u can answer ur own question. And it was just a suggestion. It’s better than doing nothing and suffering

 **lil z:** i mean…

 **lil z:** I’ll think abt it...

 **trini//:** there you go, buddy

 **lil z:** what do u think my chances are

 **trini//:** honestly? No idea

 **trini//:** I've got a lot on my mind, dude. I haven't rlly been paying attention to how u 3 act around e/o. Sorry

 **lil z:** that's ok

 **lil z:** i'm just glad u aren't calling me dumb 4 falling for both of them

 **trini//:** calling u dumb bc u fell for a teammate/fellow ranger?

 **trini//:** 'cause it's not like I know ANYTHING abt what that's like

 **lil z:** it's sorta different, t

 **lil z:** but i suppose u have a point

 **trini//:**  it wasn't one-sided for me w/ Kim, or for Jason/Billy. Even if they're already w/ e/o, I'd say ur odds aren't looking too bad

 **lil z:** are we ignoring that I flirted w/ you the first 5 days we knew e/o or that Jason and Kim almost thought about being a thing

 **trini//:** we choose to ignore our mistakes, Zack

 **trini//:** as a team we have chosen to become better, gayer, and not focus on the rocky start of our friendships

 **lil z:** ok just checking

 **lil z:** anyway, I'll let u know if I go for it and say smth

 **trini//:** cool. Good luck

 

\---

 

Trini almost doesn’t realize that the combination of panic and nervousness she’s feeling isn’t actually coming from her. It’s been such a constant presence in her life recently that she’s just gotten used to it. But there’s just a slight hint that just feels like _Jason_ , and there isn’t anything she can think of that should be making _her_ anxious. She confirms that it _is_ coming from someone else when Kim asks if she’s also feeling something from one of the guys.

Kimberly thinks he must be terrified about something, but as far as she knew, he was on his way to the school this morning. Wondering what could’ve happened between then and now makes her more nervous than she’s already feeling.

They try texting the group chat first, just in case it _isn’t_ a huge emergency. The one answer they get is Jason telling them everything’s fine and that he’ll explain later.

He walked into school holding Billy’s hand.

It’s a normal enough action, but being _Jason Scott_ and _Billy Cranston_ at _this_ school, it makes a statement. Him being a little (a lot) nervous to more or less go public is understandable.

There’s a mixed reaction. Plenty of people being dicks--having the reactions they were expecting--but also a lot who are kind of into it. Not for the right reasons, but it’s better than everyone targeting them again.

“I'm glad that they can at least walk through the halls without too much happening. It isn't perfect, but... It’d really suck if the school had double the ammo against them. They don’t deserve that,” Trini says offhandedly as she and Kimberly get ready to leave the school.

“How different would it be for us? If we ever…?”

She’s thought about it more than she’d like to admit. “Very. Neither of us are going to have a perfect wonderland, but… Some of the ‘popular’ girls think they’re cute, so they’ve got a lot of the school on their side. You know how it is. We’re girls. It’s different.”

Kimberly nods, glancing at the ground. “I never really thought about it like that.”

“Yeah. It’s fake. But a peaceful fake,” she says. The kind of _fake support_ Jason and Billy are getting is better than _real hatred_ , so she wouldn’t be the one to complain about it. “And if we go public, I think it’s going to take more than just holding your hand for people to get the hint.”

“That sucks. I don't care what they think about me anymore, but..."

"I know. It sucks. It still gets to me too, sometimes." Trini nods. "But I've got you, the boys, and my brothers, and that's all that matters to me. Alpha's kinda cool, too."

Kim laughs. "And what? Zordon can just choke?"

"Yes," Trini says, a completely serious expression on her face. "You're saying that like a joke, Kim, but that's exactly how I feel. If he had a physical form, I'd have beat him up by now."

"No, I believe you. 'Cause I'd have done that, too."

"He's lucky he's stuck in that ship. I think Billy's the only one who wouldn't have tried to deck him at least once." Trini would  _really_ like to see Zordon get hit by a Putty. See how he likes it. "What do you think would happen if we tried to punch the wall?"

Kim has thought about that before, but unless the _pin art wall_ has pain receptors, it wouldn't be worth it. "I think it'd hurt you more than it'd hurt Zordon."

"Okay, but you think it  _would_ hurt him? Like, just a little?"

"Trini."

It wouldn't be  _that bad_ if she just tried it out, would it? Maybe? It's really tempting. "I'll ask Alpha the next time we're down there."

"Oh my god."

 

\---

 

**Group**

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | toliver | princess.hart | trini//]**

**trini//:** what is this

 **lil z:** new gc

 **lil z:** w/ our homegirl tommy

 **toliver:** Oh, hey

 **lil z:** toliver

 **lil z:** to liver?

 **lil z:** ?

 **trini//:** oh my god, zack

 **lil z:** ?

 **toliver:** It's my name

 **toliver:** T. Oliver

 **toliver:** My last name is Oliver

 **lil z:** ohhhhhh

 **lil z:** see, that makes more sense

 **lil z:** i didn't know what was up w/ u and liver, but I was gonna roll with it

 **lil z:** huzzah! to liver!

 **toliver:** "Huzzah"

 **trini//:** "to liver"

 **princess.hart:** Oh my god

 **toliver:** That's the funniest thing that's happened to me all day

 **lil z:** ur welcome

 **lil z:** anyway, welcome to the chat

 **toliver:**  Thanks

 **billyc:** The group needs a name

 **lil z:** right u are, billy

 

 **lil z** changed the group name to **Misfit Toys**

 

 **lil z:** it’s a placeholder, don’t worry. U guys can have at it

 **trini//:** good, ‘cause that’s sorta boring

 **princess.hart:** I’d suggest “Detention Squad” but that’s too similar to another gc I have

 

 **trini//** changed the group name to **Gay Squad™**

 

 **toliver:** That could work. I’m kinda here for it…

 

 **lil z** changed the group name to **Breakfast Club ( & Tommy)**

 

 **toliver:** Now that’s just rude

 

 **trini//** changed the group name to **Life Sucks Sometimes**

 

 **trini//:** not to be a pessimist or anything

 

 **lil z** changed the group name to **Life is Beautiful**

 

 **lil z:** to be an optimist

 

 **princess.hart** changed the group name to **Love [** **_multicolor series of heart emojis_ ** **]**

 

 **princess.hart:** That’s a joke

 **princess.hart:** Sort of

 **toliver:** In that case, pls don’t take this personally

 

 **toliver** changed the group name to **Shut up [** **_series of knife emojis_ ** **]**

 

 **trini//:** ok wait, i kind of like that one

 **princess.hart:** Of course u do

 **princess.hart:** Oh my god, wait

 

 **princess.hart** changed their name to  **kimberly [ _heart emoji_ ]**

 

 **kimberly [ _heart_ ]:** I can't believe I've wasted so much time not seizing this opportunity

 **lil z:** how have u not made that pun before

 **kimberly [ _heart_ ]:** I don't know. I'm ashamed of myself

 **toliver:**  You've never made a pun w/ ur last name before???

 **kimberly [ _heart_ ]:**  No, I have. Just not with an emoji

 **toliver:** ...still

 **kimberly [ _heart_ ]** **:** But I made a promise to Trini a while ago, so this'll have to be used somewhere else

 **trini//:** what

 

 **kimberly [ _heart_ ]** changed their name to  **it'skimberly!**

 

 **trini//:** oh my god, I can't believe you remember that

 **it'skimberly!:** How could I possibly forget such an iconic moment

 **it'skimberly!:** Since you created mine, do I get to come up w/ ur new screen name

 **trini//:** sure, I guess

 **trini//:** but you can do that later

 **lil z:** ok, now that u two are done, shut up knife emojis is great, but it can’t be the actual name of our group, lbr

 

 **toliver** changed the group name to * **Long Drawn Out Sigh***

 

 **toliver:** I honestly think u guys might be more indecisive than I am, and that’s really saying something

 **lil z:** there’s just so many good options...

 **trini//:** honestly i don’t care what we’re called anymore

 ** **it'skimberly!** : **Tbh I think this one works

 **it'skimberly!:** Bc honestly?

 ** **it'skimberly!** :** Mood

 **goldenboi:** We can always change it later.

 **billyc:** Or we can keep it

 **lil z:** ^^

 **toliver:** I appreciate u guys connecting to the emotions that can only be described through a long sigh

 **trini//:** that's like 90% of my emotions when we're at school

 **toliver:**  Sameeee

 **toliver:**  No offence but ur school kind of sucks

 **goldenboi:**  It really does

 **goldenboi:** but we're learning, so that's all I'm asking for

 **it'skimberly!:** Since when do you care abt learning

 **goldenboi:** Since I had to quit football, and now can't fall back on athletics to coast through life

 **it'skimberly!** **:** Okay then

 **goldenboi:** Speaking of, I have homework. Talk to you guys later

 **trini//:** ughhhhh

 **trini//:** I hate you but also love you for reminding me that I also have hw

 **it'skimberly!:**  Same :(

 **toliver:** I finished mine in study hall

 **toliver:** Do we know each other well enough for me to gloat abt that?

 **toliver:** Imma do it anyway

 **toliver:** Have fun suffering, motherfuckers

 **billyc:** I finished mine too, so if anyone needs help again, I'm free!

 **trini//:** thank you Billy

 **trini//:** honestly I might take u up on that offer

 **trini//:** i'll let u know

 **it'skimberly!:** @toliver I hate u for not having any work, but, like, in a friendly way... So, yeah, I think we're close enough for u to gloat

 **toliver:** Sweet. I'm gonna take advantage of you saying that in the future

 **it'skimberly!:**  Great...

 **toliver:**  Alright. Y'all have fun. I'm gonna go not do homework

 **trini//:** if I could send a glare through text, I'd do that rn

 

\---

 

**Rainbow Rangers**

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | **it'skimberly!** | trini//]**

**lil z:** ok guys, i love tommy, wbu??

 **goldenboi:** I think she’s cool

 ** **it'skimberly!** :** ^^

 **billyc:** Yeah, I like her

 **lil z:** do u think we should invite her to a Bonding Session. Like, we bonded, but that was for fun and we didn’t get into the deep stuff. It’d be like our Official Campfires,, except not at a fire

 **lil z:** it’ll be like an initiation

 **lil z:** she’s like a part of the group now

 **goldenboi:** Sure

 ** **it'skimberly!** :** Where would it be? When?

 **lil z:** idk, whenever

 **lil z:** we can meet up somewhere… or just talk over text. Sometimes it’s easier when u can’t see the ppl ur talking to

 **trini//:** let us know when u talk to her and what she says

 **goldenboi:** ^^

 **lil z:** aight

 

 **lil z:** ok SO,

 **lil z:** she said she’s down to get real as long as we’re all talking and it isn’t just her throwing her life story at us

 **goldenboi:** That’s reasonable

 **lil z:** also she said she’d be more comfortable talking over text

 **lil z:** less pressure and all that

 **trini//:** cool

 **lil z:**  we can figure out a time in the other gc

 **billyc:** Okay

 

\---

 

**Pink Lemonade**

**[ **it'skimberly!** | trini//]**

**trini//:** hey what are u doing?

 **trini//:** I guess u might be asleep, but I thought I was feeling smth not good coming from u

 **trini//:** but if you’re fine, just disregard this

 

Not getting an answer within the next half hour starts to make Trini anxious. It _is_ possible that Kim’s asleep, but keeping her phone sound on is also kind of her thing. Normally that would wake her up. Trini can tell that Kim's emotions haven’t changed much--that it’s been a steady state of _nothing_ for about an hour and a half now. She's debating on whether or not it'd be a good idea to run over to Kim's house like she did the last time this happened. But _last time_  she didn't even need to show up in person. Kim had asked her to leave almost as soon as she got there. She might be overreacting.

She might not be.

It doesn't look like she'll get much sleep at this point anyway, so she could just go  _check_ on her.

 

 ** **it'skimberly!** :** Sorry, I was swimming. Are you ok?

 **trini//:** yeah, i was just a little worried. But if ur good, that’s good

 ** **it'skimberly!** :** Ok. But are you sure you’re good? I got out of the water to check my phone bc I felt ur nerves

 **trini//:** I think I’ll be fine

 **trini//:** But I’m actually having a rough night. Is ur window open? Even if you aren’t there rn? I just need to get out of my room

 ** **it'skimberly!** :** It’s open, but I can be back in 5 minutes

 **trini//:** you can take your time. I’ll probably fall asleep before u get back anyway

 

They both end up taking their time, but Trini still gets to Kim's room first. She's a bit surprised, but also relieved to have the place to herself for a while. Being alone means she can try to get to sleep without feeling like she and Kim need to  _talk_.

Kimberly doesn't want to talk either, so  _she's_ relieved to see Trini already passed out when she gets back. If they really need to, they can talk later. Right now it's time for both of them to finally get some sleep.

 

\---

 

***Long Drawn Out Sigh***

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | toliver | **it'skimberly!** | trini//]**

**lil z:** ok let’s get to the deep stuff

 **lil z:** i’ll break the ice 4 u guys

 **lil z:** my name is zack, my life is a mess, and I’m terrified of dolphins

 **trini//:** why dolphins?

 **lil z:** IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHY DOLPHINS ARE EVIL THEN YOU PROBABLY DON’T WANT TO KNOW

 **lil z:** TRUST ME

 **lil z:** i can’t type that out myself you’ll have to google it

 **lil z:** but i have to warn u that it’s gruesome

 **billyc:** I don’t understand why people like dolphins so much when they’re aggressive carnivores and aren’t inherently good at all

 **goldenboi:** But they’re so cute?

 **trini//:** ho ly hsit

 **trini//:** @goldenboi THEY AREN’T CUTE ANYMORE

 **toliver:** When you said we’d “really get to know e/o” this is not what I was expecting

 **lil z:** u have a right to know of these horrors

 **trini//:** can we talk abt human stuff now? I really regret looking that up

 **goldenboi:** I googled it and everything I know is a lie

 **goldenboi:** Planet Earth is a terrible terrible place

 ** **it'skimberly!** :** You know what? I think I’m just going to take your word for it and NOT get the details

 **trini//:** if i could go back in time 10 minutes and stop myself from typing the words “why are dolphins” and clicking search after it autofilled the word “evil” I would

 **goldenboi:** OKAY moving on now

 **goldenboi:** pls

 **lil z:** gladly

 **lil z:** any q's for us, tommy?

 **toliver:**  Yeah. Not one that's rlly personal, but I'm just curious if any of you have seen the power rangers in person?

 **goldenboi:** Yeah, we've sort of seen them. From a distance.

 **toliver:** That's cool

 **lil z:** they're cool

 **toliver:** I have to agree

 **lil z:** do u have a favorite?

 **toliver:** I guess? I mean... I think I have a leaning towards black since he runs the Twitter account, but when he described everyone else I kinda feel a connection to yellow? "could kill you w/ one glare" rlly gets me

 **it'skimberly!:** Yeah, I like yellow too

 **goldenboi:** I'm a fan of blue

 **goldenboi:** and also black

 **billyc:** I like blue

 **billyc:**  But I also like red and black

 **billyc:** And yellow and pink

 **toliver:** That's all of them

 **billyc:** Yeah, I like all of them

 **toliver:** Zack?

 **lil z:** ...black... that guy seems chill...

 **toliver:** Trini?

 **trini//:** I don't rlly pay attention to that stuff

 **lil z:** bullshit

 **trini//:** idk, they're all just kinda there doing the same things

 **it'skimberly!:** Really? Hm

 **lil z:** u don't have to pretend to be cooler than us, t. we know ur a secret power rangers fan

 **trini//:**  shut up

 **trini//:** ...I like pink, don't make a big deal out of it

 **lil z:** see that wasn't so hard

 **toliver:** As much as this town can kind of suck sometimes, it's kind of cool that you have your very own superheroes protecting everything

 **toliver:** Protecting people. Most of the buildings don't look like they survived that first attack

 **goldenboi:** Also, I think it might've been difficult to stop a giant sentient gold thing from throwing molten gold in random directions

 **toliver:** True

 **billyc:** I'm sure they tried their best to keep everything safe

 **lil z:** ^^

 

 **lil z:** okay, tommy, we've been goin back and forth, and now

 **lil z:** i think we've hit all the Big Stuff

 **toliver:**  Yeah, I guess so

 **lil z:**  however, we are not yet done here

 **toliver:** Didn't think we were

 **trini//:** why do you always have to be so dramatic, z?? Can you ever just get to ur point right away?

 **lil z:** no, i need suspense

 **lil z:** i just wanted to mention that first lunch we had together

 **toliver:**  Ohhhh, no, I think I know what you're talking about

 **toliver:** The nickname thing?

 **lil z:** yes. i know why, but i was just wondering why u aren't a fan of ANY nickname. all nicknames.

 **toliver:** Honestly, after I stopped using the name that "Tommy" was attached to, I wanted to stick w/ one thing for a while. Just one thing /I/ want to be called, u know? And for now I still want to keep it that way. Esp being in a new place. I'd rather ppl get used to "Tommy" than coming up with their own thing to call me. Nothing personal against your nicknames, Z

 **lil z:** no, i get it

 **lil z:** don’t worry

 **toliver:** I figured u guys would be cool abt it. Half the douchebags at school are on our backs for a lot of the same reasons

 ** **it'skimberly!** :** That’s true

 **toliver:** None of us are straight, most of us aren’t white, I’m not cis, Billy’s autistic. Really, it’s just a great big party wherever we go. Tbh there's also probably more we could throw in, but to save time and my phone battery, I'll refrain from getting into details

 **it'skimberly!:** Thank god we found each other

 **lil z:**  we ARE a big party. turn up guys

 **trini//:**  I love your enthusiasm, z

 **lil z:** i don't need ur sarcasm

 **trini//:** that wasn't sarcasm

 **lil z:** o h

 **lil z:** th ank you t

 **lil z:**  ok one more q, tommy. what did that guy say to u to get u in detention??

 **toliver:** It really wasn’t original

 **goldenboi:** Wallace is kind of our resident stereotypical bully. He’s tougher physically than verbally

 **toliver:** He told me to get out of his country and go back home. I called him a dumbass and told him to go home bc my ppl were here first. I don’t know where he thought I was from, but?? Idk, he didn’t want to back off, so that’s when I shoved him

 **trini//:** nice

 ** **it'skimberly!** :** Honestly, I’m surprised he’s still going after people? I thought he’d at least lay low for a while after Billy knocked him out

 **toliver:** I’m sorry, Billy did WHAT

 **billyc:** It was an accident!

 **toliver:** I totally believe you, but HOW do you accidentally knock someone out

 **toliver:** Okay, you can’t just not respond for 5 entire minutes when I know none of you are doing anything other than talking in this chat

 **goldenboi:** It’s just hard to explain?

 **billyc:** I didn’t realize I was that strong. He tried to headbutt me, but it backfired and hurt him more than it hurt me.

 **goldenboi:** Okay, I guess it wasn’t as hard to explain as I thought

 **toliver:** Oh, damn. Ok

 **toliver:** So are u keeping count, or…? Billy: knocked 1 guy out. Kim: punched out a tooth and broke someone’s nose. Jason: ? Trini: ? Zack: ?

 **toliver:** Looks like Kim’s winning so far

 **toliver:** Or losing, depending on how u look at it

 **trini//:** if u ask me, I think she’s winning

 **trini//:** makes sense, actually. The amount of times Kim’s talked me out of punching someone?? It was all to keep me from taking her place as the Most Badass of the group

 **trini//:** i’m onto u Kimberly

 **lil z:** *on top of

 **lil z:** actually, more like *under

 ** **it'skimberly!** :** I was about to say, don’t slander my name by implying I’m a bottom

 **goldenboi:** This conversation just took a sharp turn that I wasn’t expecting

 **trini//:** this is why I never talk in these chats

 **trini//:** friendship ended w/ Zack and Kimberly. Now Jason, Billy, and Tommy are my best friends

 **lil z:** *offended gasp*

 **toliver:** Dope

 ** **it'skimberly!** :** What did I do this time?

 **trini//:** you encouraged him

 ** **it'skimberly!** :** I defended myself

 **lil z:** your two best friends… you just cast us aside… kimberly i can understand… but me?

 ** **it'skimberly!** :** “Kimberly you can understand”???

 **lil z:** well, yes

 **lil z:** obviously i’m amazing

 **trini//:** sometimes I rlly can’t stand you two

 **billyc:** Are you joking right now?

 **trini//:** yes, Billy, I’m joking. But still mildly annoyed

 **toliver:** Is “I rlly can’t stand you two” code for “I love both of you with my entire heart”

 ** **it'skimberly!** :** YES

 **lil z:** hahahhahahahahaha

 **trini//:** stop

 **lil z:** no she’s right

 ** **it'skimberly!** :** You love us the most [ _heart emoji_ ]

 **trini//:** I thought this was “get to know e/o” night, not “call Trini out” night

 **lil z:** ¿por qué no los dos?

 **trini//:** you don’t get points for using spanish

 **lil z:** ¿por qué?

 **trini//:** stop

 **lil z:** no

 **lil z:** (that’s a spanish “no”)

 **toliver:** This is so entertaining

 **it'skimberly!:** You love us Triniiii

 **trini//:** shut up

 **lil z:** i love u too, t

 **lil z:** i love all 5 of u

 **trini//:** do u just love to see me embarrassed or smth

 **lil z:**  yes

 **it'skimberly!:** You're cute when you're embarrassed

 

 **trini//** has left  ***Long Drawn Out Sigh***

 

 **it'skimberly!:** Oops

 **toliver:** Damn, y'all don't mess around

 **goldenboi:** Wait, we can LEAVE these groups??? I didn't even know that was possible

 **lil z:** can we add her back in?

 **billyc:** We can, but I don't want to add her if she just chose to leave

 **lil z:** do it anyway, and if she leaves again, we'll let her go

 

 **billyc** added  **trini//** to  ***Long Drawn Out Sigh***

 

 **trini//:** those 2 minutes of peace were rlly great

 **lil z:** we're sorry trini

 **trini//:** I know

 **trini//:** I just wanted to take a page out of Kim's book and be a little extra for a minute

 **it'skimberly!:** Wow

 **trini//:** don't play like that. You know ur a dramatic ass ho

 **toliver:** "Dramatic ass ho" That's one I haven't heard in a while

 **lil z:** silly t. u know Kim's gotta be extra abt u calling her extra

 **trini//:** again

 

 **it'skimberly!** left  ***Long Drawn Out Sigh***

 

 **trini//:**  of course

 **goldenboi:** Seriously?

 **toliver:** "Again" So smth like this happened before?

 **trini//:** we had a fight abt which of us was more extra, and Kim was the winner

 **toliver:** Oh. It sounds like all of y'all's fights are fun

 **lil z:** "all of y'all's"

 **goldenboi:** Can we just get Kim back before she gets upset that we let her leave

 **lil z:** billy?

 

 **billyc** added  **it'skimberly!** to  ***Long Drawn Out Sigh***

 

 **it'skimberly!:** Thanks, B

 **goldenboi:** I really relate to our group name rn. This is exhausting

 **trini//:** it isn't as dramatic when I do it first Kim

 **it'skimberly!:** I was just taking a page out of ur book, T

 **trini//:** I second Jason's comment

 **it'skimberly!:** Toss me your phone. I just came up w/ your new screen name

 **lil z:** do u guys ever spend time at your own house w/out the other there too

 **it'skimberly!:** Not recently, no

 **toliver:** I can't believe you've been in the same room this entire time, having full separate conversations IN THIS CHAT when you could've been talking to e/o out loud

 **billyc:** That's what it's like to be in a group chat with Trini and Kimberly

 

 **trini//** changed their name to  **dramatic.ass.ho**

 

 **lil z:** kim omg

 **dramatic.ass.ho:** are u serious

 **it'skimberly!:** You're welcome

 **dramatic.ass.ho:** remind me why I like you again

 **it'skimberly!:**  Because of moments like these

 **toliver:** Aw man. Now I have Kelly Clarkson stuck in my head

 **lil z:** we're learning a lot abt u tommy. first u use the phrase "all of y'all's" and now u listen to kelly clarkson

 **toliver:** A Moment Like This is a bop, and I stand by that statement

 **lil z:** i respect ur unwavering loyalty

 **goldenboi:** There are 20 different conversations happening at once rn, I need to leave

 **goldenboi:** This is too confusing

 **it'skimberly!:** Bye Jace

 **toliver:** It is getting pretty late. I should prob get some sleep too

 **lil z:** thank u for joining us today

 **toliver:** Thanks for having me?

 **lil z:** ur welc

 **lil z:** goodnight friends

 **dramatic.ass.ho:** how long do I have to keep this my name

 **lil z:** at least 24 hours

 **dramatic.ass.ho:** :(

 

\---

 

Trini doesn't understand how she's making it happen, but she's able to morph now. Not completely, but it's more than nothing. She assumes fixing things with Jason probably helped, and _maybe_ the Tommy thing is connected, too. With everyone being open and friendly except for Trini, that could've been causing even more of a rift in their connection. After she said she'd give Tommy a chance [an _actual_ chance], she started to warm up to her. And then in that group chat the other night, it  _felt_ like the six of them were getting more comfortable with each other.

She  _thought_ she had made progress and moved past whatever weird feeling she was getting, but when Kim tells her that "Tommy might've done something to screw them over," it starts to look like being wary was the right move. But Kim wants to "hear her out" because it was probably just a misunderstanding. She doesn't seem like someone who would do that for no reason. But Trini can't calm herself down enough to confront her casually.

“What the hell, Tommy?” Trini says as soon as she's close enough to be within earshot. She's going to try to keep her cool since they're in the school parking lot,  _but_ most people who don't have to stay after for some reason have already left.

Tommy looks up, confused, and then glances around to see the others slowly approaching behind Trini. “What?”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

“... _No_ . I _don’t_.”

“You made that fucking deal with that stupid Brad guy,” Trini says. “Tell me that was a joke.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t play dumb. Kim heard you.”

Tommy looks away from Trini to Kimberly. “What is she talking about?”

“Look, all you have to say is that you were humoring him. Because I don’t know if I believe that you’d seriously make a deal with an asshole and stab me in the back like that,” Kim says calmly.

“I’m serious. I have no idea what’s going on right now.” Tommy stands up straighter, looking at each of them, suddenly feeling like she needs to defend herself. “I haven’t _done_ anything. So you guys better be the ones who are messing with me.”

“Tommy--”

“I didn’t stab anyone in the back. I don’t even know a guy named Brad.”

“Tommy, I heard you--”

Tommy takes a step closer to Kimberly. “What exactly did you hear? Really. I’d like to know.”

Billy still hangs back with the guys, but he takes a small step forward as if he's ready to jump in the middle of another fight. “Hey, guys. We should all calm down for a second…”

“I _was_ calm. But now I don’t know _what_ the hell you think you’re accusing me of. Look, I had a pretty good idea of why I didn’t have any friends before now, but I don’t know what I did to piss the two of you off so much.”

Trini shakes her head. “You didn’t just piss us off; you went behind our backs. And now you’re lying about it.”

“What the fuck am I lying about?”

Kim pauses to take a deep breath. Is it annoying that Tommy's denying that _any_ of this happened? Absolutely. But they aren't going to get anything figured out if they don't stay calm. “Brad told you that he’d get his buddies and the football players to stop messing with you if you’d help him get back at me. And you said yes.”

“What?”

“I was there, Tommy. I saw it. I heard it. I wanted to wait and hear you out before I did something stupid, but you aren’t exactly proving me right here.”

Tommy stares at her like she’s lost it. “That never happened.”

Kim sighs. “Yes it did. What would I have to gain from making that up?”

“I have no fucking clue. That’s why I’m confused.”

Zack holds his hands up to get their attention, but also signal that he doesn't want things to get aggressive between them. Violence aside, they have _Ranger strength_ that doesn't need to be tested out on Tommy in the middle of a public parking lot. [Or at all, but in public is worse.] “This has to be a misunderstanding.”

“She’s denying that it even happened. How is that a misunderstanding?”

“I don’t know…”

“When do you think this happened?” Tommy asks.

“ _Today ,"_ Kim says. "Like twenty minutes ago.”

“I think I’d remember something like that happening twenty minutes ago.”

“I know what I saw, Tommy. If I pulled that Brad guy aside, he’d say the two of you were talking, too.”

“And I know where I’ve been and who I’ve talked to. Unless I blacked out and started sleep walking and talking, then _I_ know you’re making this up. I don’t know why, but I’m starting to not care. And _that_ sucks because I really liked you guys.”

“If you liked us, you wouldn’t pretend like this didn’t happen.”

Tommy takes another couple of steps forward, getting much closer to Kimberly than before. Closer than any of them would like. If Tommy throws the first punch, they know Kim isn't just going to _let it happen_. She'd probably hold back, but she wouldn't do  _nothing_. “I’m not the one making shit up, Hart. If you don’t want me in your group anymore, you can just say so. I’m not going to push when I’m not wanted.”

“That’s not what’s happening.”

“That’s not what it looks like.”

Jason shakes his head. “Guys, this is getting ridiculous. Obviously something’s going on here, and we aren’t going about it in the right way.”

“We tried going about it the right way, Jason. Tommy just doesn’t want to cooperate.”

“ _I_ don’t want to cooperate?” Tommy asks, and she looks like she’s about to make another move. Like get even more in Kim’s space, or maybe throw a punch.

Trini takes the chance to move forward, getting in between them the best she can and shoving Tommy back. She might’ve been a little more rough than she should have. Like, “a little bit of Ranger strength” rough. “Back off.”

Tommy stumbles for a moment, but recovers quickly enough to shove Trini, too. It happens with a force that Trini isn’t expecting, so Kim has to grab onto her to keep her from falling. _That_ on its own is weird enough, but the movement from all of that shoving also made something fall out of Tommy’s jacket pocket.

All six of them now have their eyes on the object, but Tommy’s the only one who doesn’t have a big reaction. Trini slowly turns back to Tommy, shaking her head and saying, “I fucking knew it,” while the other four are stuck in shock.

It was by accident, but they finally found what they were looking for.

The green Power Coin.

Great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did a bit of a time jump in the middle of the last text conversation on purpose, so I didn't want y'all to think I accidentally forgot to write anything  
> And I did that bc I figured none of what they'd be talking about (except for Tommy) would be new information, so it'd just be redundant to what you guys already know


	15. Time for a Breakdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, so I'm super sorry about how long this took. Ironically, it wasn't school that got in the way, I just got sick literally THE DAY after the last update, and I've just wanted to sleep every moment I didn't have class since.  
> But it's here, and it isn't as long as I would've wanted it to be, but I didn't want to make y'all wait any longer than you already have.

“You have the green Power Coin,” Billy says after another stretch of silence.

Tommy grabs the coin, looking at the others in confusion. “What? This thing?”

Trini shakes her head again. “I _told_ you guys something was off about her.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about _you_ stabbing us in the back.”

Billy looks over Tommy’s jacket, and then turns his attention to the ground. “She does wear so much green…”

The other three are silent--Zack feeling crushed, and Kimberly feeling especially dumb for completely ignoring Trini. Jason, however, still feels like there’s something else going on. That they’re missing something and they don’t know the full story yet.

“How did I betray you? Because I didn’t tell you about this?” Tommy asks, holding the coin up. “That doesn’t make any sense. It’s just some random rock… crystal thing that I found in the middle of nowhere. What the fuck is a Power Coin?”

“Don’t play dumb. You’re the one attacking the city again,” Trini says, and Jason attempts to step in.

“Trini, I don’t think--”

“That’s exactly what’s happening, Jason. She wouldn’t have the coin otherwise. She got close to us on purpose so we’d let our guard down, let her in, and not see it coming when she actually wanted to do something about it.”

Tommy shakes her head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I found this thing, and I might be sort of stronger now, I guess. But it isn’t even possible for me to be behind the attacks. I blacked out the last time one happened, and I’m pretty sure it was from one of those rock things knocking me out. And I don’t get how that has _anything_ to do with _you_.”

“Are you saying you didn’t know we were the Power Rangers?” Billy asks.

That’s one way to cut to the chase.

Tommy pauses for a second, looking at all five of them with wide eyes. “ _You’re the Power Rangers?!_ ”

Billy nods slowly. “She didn’t know. Jason, did I just break a Ranger rule?”

“No, I don’t think it counts this time.”

Tommy turns away from them, trying to go over this information. “Of course you’re the fucking Power Rangers. Dad friend? Small but feisty? And you wear the colors like you’re in their fanclub. I can’t believe this.”

“That’s what I was trying to say, Trini,” Jason says. “I don’t think she remembers actually doing any of that.”

It’d be easy for her to lie about it, so it’s going to take more than that to convince Trini. “How are we supposed to know that for sure?”

While the five of them attempt to figure out what’s going on, Tommy’s still off to the side, silently freaking out. She can’t take much more of this. So she starts to walk away before the focus jumps back to her again.

“Um, guys…” Billy says. “Tommy’s leaving.”

They all turn, cutting off their conversation to follow her. She hadn’t gotten very far, though, so they don’t have to move much.

“Where the hell are you going?” Trini asks.

“I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know what’s happening. I just _don’t know_.”

“Well you can’t _leave_.”

Tommy shrugs. “You’re the Power Rangers. Why don’t you just stop me?”

“Okay. Gladly.”

Jason shakes his head. “Trini…”

“What? She’s a Ranger, too. She can take it.”

“I’m a _what_?”

There’s definitely a better way they could be handling this. Maybe not yelling about it in the middle of the--now empty--school parking lot. Maybe they could approach _telling_ Tommy all of these details better, too, because it’s starting to look like she really _doesn’t_ know what the hell is going on. Or, she’s a really good actress. Either way, this isn’t going well.

“We need to take her to Zordon. As soon as we’re down there, we can figure this out,” Zack says. He’s trying to stay optimistic. Hoping that Tommy’s been telling the truth.

“What the fuck is _Zordon_?”

“Oh, Zordon is,” Billy starts, but everyone turns to him, Jason shaking his head slightly, so he stops. “Nevermind.”

“Did you all take something before we met up down here? You have to be high.”

Jason takes a deep breath, holding his hands out. “Tommy… We need you to come with us.”

Trini's reasoning for being so _against_ that is that they're basically bringing their enemy right to the one place she could do some real damage. Even if Tommy isn't in control, what would stop that switch from flipping as soon as they're underground? Why should they risk it?

Jason thinks it'd be safer to have her down there. There isn't much she could actually do down there. And even if she could, it'd still be five (plus a robot and talking wall) against one. It's a risk he's willing to take so they can figure some of this out.

And, apparently, the others agree with him.

Tommy shakes her head. “Fuck that.”

“Wait.” He pulls his own coin out of his pocket and holds it out for her to see. “If you come with us for a few minutes, we can explain everything and figure out what’s going on. But if you walk away right now, all of us are just going to get more confused, and more people might get hurt.”

Tommy’s still mostly confused, but she hesitates for a moment. “People might get hurt? I don’t…”

“I think that coin has something to do with the attacks. I’m not saying it’s _you_ , but… Just give us this.”

“I really want to believe you, Tommy,” Zack says. “I honestly do. But I can’t do that unless we get a second opinion on what’s happening.”

After another pause, Tommy sighs. “You can have tonight. But if I don’t like what I see or hear, I’m leaving. I’m gonna go home, fall asleep, and hope to god this was all some mass hallucination that’ll be behind us in the morning.”

“I can live with that.”

The level of tension stays about the same on their trip down to the cliffs, and by the time they get there, Tommy’s only more confused. She doesn’t know what’s going on, but she’s hoping that it’ll be over soon if she just lets everything happen instead of asking twenty questions all at once.

She can handle keeping quiet until they reach the cliff and she realizes that they aren’t slowing down as they approach the edge.

“Wait a minute. We’re going down _there?_ ” She asks, and then shakes her head. “Hell no.”

Zack throws his hands up, walking backwards towards the cliff. “It’s harmless. Watch.”

After watching Zack do a flip and fall out of sight--even if his screaming is enthusiastic--Tommy isn’t any more excited to follow behind him.

“I was scared at first, too,” Billy says. “But… mine was also an accident and we thought I was falling to my death. But that didn’t happen. There’s water and we’re all fine.”

“Trini didn’t want to follow us, either,” Jason adds. “We can always do with you what we did to get her down there.”

“And what was that?” Tommy asks, almost hesitantly.

Jason looks to Kimberly.

Kimberly turns to Trini.

Trini turns to Tommy.

“Give me your phone.”

Tommy pulls her phone out of her pocket, but keeps it behind her back. “Why?”

While the attention isn’t on her, Kim moves to grab Tommy’s phone out of her hands, and steps back. Tommy doesn’t have a very physical reaction because she’s standing pretty close to the cliff edge. Accidentally falling down there is the _last_ thing she wants to do.

“Hey!”

Kim holds the phone up. “You’ll thank me later.”

“You know what?” Trini says. “If I can’t get my revenge on Kim, I might as well just do it to you.”

“What does that mean?”

Trini puts a hand on Tommy’s shoulder. “I can’t think of anything witty to say, so just be ready to hold your breath.”

Tommy has just enough time to turn to Trini with wide eyes before Trini’s grabbing her other shoulder and pulling the both of them off of the cliff. The other three aren’t far behind them.

The whole situation leaves Trini feeling conflicted. Because possession definitely seems likely. But she also isn’t going to be the one to let her guard down.

“What the _fuck_?” Tommy asks, pushing her hair out of her face as she resurfaces.

“Come on, T,” Kim says, swimming closer to Trini. “You can’t tell me it wasn’t _a little_ fun throwing her off of the cliff like that.”

Trini shakes her head. “No comment.”

“Yes! Crazy girl one, two, and three!” Zack calls out, and Tommy can only stare at the five of them with wide eyes. Unfortunately, it looks like it’s a little too late to attempt getting back _up_ the cliff and away from them.

“You people are _insane_.”

Kim motions towards the sky. “Hey, at least now your phone is safe up there, and not ruined from water damage.”

Small victories.

“Alright. Hold your breath again and follow us down there,” Jason says before diving under.

At this point she might as well just do it because it's becoming more and more obvious that they aren't giving her any answers until they get to wherever the fuck they're supposed to be going. She hopes that this gravity defying underwater cave thing is as weird as it's going to get.

It isn't.

It gets weirder.

Tommy stumbles backwards, almost falling against Jason, as soon as they walk into view of the ship. Zack even has to reach out to keep her from falling over any more.

“I think I'm gonna pass out.”

“Could you maybe postpone that for five minutes?” Zack asks, and Tommy slowly shakes her head.

“Probably not.”

She's hesitant to get any closer to the ship, so actually walking _into_ it is a whole other journey. It can't be real. No way. The super strength stuff that she got from that coin is one thing, but _this_? When the short little robot rolls into view, Tommy's almost positive that she isn't gonna make it home without knowing what a heart attack feels like first.

It's worse when it starts talking, so she reacts on impulse. Which means jumping behind Kimberly (if Tommy trusts any of them to be able to protect her, it would honestly probably be her), and sort of holding Kim by the shoulders so she can stay hidden.

“What the _hell_ is _that?_ ”

“That’s Alpha 5,” Jason says. “You don’t have to hide; he won’t hurt you.”

Billy nods, but adds, “Unless you spar with him. He’s gotten some hits in with me… He doesn’t hold back, and robot arms are surprisingly strong.”

“You found the new Ranger?” Alpha asks excitedly, rolling along beside Jason as he leads them closer to the morphing grid room. “This is so exciting!”

“Yeah. Um… Zordon?” Jason says. “We need to talk to you about this.”

Zordon’s face springs up into view, and there’s a bit of a booming echo. Tommy had been attempting to stay hidden, and seeing this just makes her grip on Kim’s shoulders tighten to keep herself from falling over.

“ _Holy shit_ … What did you guys slip me?” She asks. “I’m tripping. I have to be.”

Jason glances back once, and then sighs. “She’s freaking out.”

Trini rolls her eyes. “You’re saying that like it isn’t a normal reaction.”

“Well, _we_ took it better.”

“We threatened to kill Alpha and were completely terrified the entire time,” Kimberly says, and Zack nods.

“And we’re weird and kinda just accepted that aliens were a thing pretty quickly.”

“Also, we left as soon as Trini figured out how to open the door. You’re the only one who didn’t run out of here,” Billy adds.

That all might be true, but… _still_.

Jason just shakes his head and turns back to Zordon. “We found the new Ranger. Is it possible that she wouldn’t be in control or aware of what’s going on when the coin is taking over?”

“I believe we’ve established that almost anything is ‘possible’.”

Leave it to Zordon to sound so full of wisdom, but simultaneously keep everything cryptic and never give them any actual answers.

“But is there a way we can know-- _for sure_ \--if she’s telling the truth or not?”

“Oh! I can monitor her! I’ll keep an eye on her heart rate and blood pressure, among other things, and that should help,” Alpha adds, throwing his little robot arms up in the air.

Zack smiles. “Alpha doubles as a lie detector test… This is _so_ gonna come in handy later.”

“Not the time, Zack,” Jason says, and then turns around again. “Tommy.”

They all turn to her, Kim waiting to be let go before she attempts to move at all. And Tommy only stares back, slightly disappointed at having lost Kim as a shield.

“I have _no idea_ what’s going on.”

“You don’t remember finding the coin? Becoming a Ranger? Morphing?” Jason asks, and she pulls out her coin.

“I remember finding _this_. But nothing else. I don’t understand what half of the stuff you’re saying means.”

Zack gestures towards her and nods. “So what happened with the coin?”

“I… I found it sort of in the middle of nowhere while I was walking, thought it looked cool, and went home to sleep ‘cause I was exhausted. Woke up, felt kind of terrible, went to take a shower and almost tore my bathroom door off its hinges, but I was half asleep, so I didn’t think much of it,” Tommy says. “I got to school and everything seemed normal enough? But I stopped at a vending machine because I didn’t grab breakfast at my house, and the granola bar got stuck, so I hit the machine--like any normal person would--and… it dented and like ten bars and three bags of chips fell. I freaked out because I didn’t want to get caught so I just… ran before someone could see me.”

“You’re the reason I got free snacks from that broken machine?” Zack asks, smiling. “Thanks, buddy.”

Tommy shakes her head as she moves on. “And I found this thing in my pocket, freaked out again, tried throwing it away after school, and it kept coming back? I tried throwing it out into the ocean and it still came back. I didn’t know what was happening. But I didn’t… I didn’t think of _this_ as an explanation. I just thought I found some weird radioactive crystal.”

“Like that’s any _less_ weird…” Trini mumbles.

“I didn’t attack the town. I didn’t know you were the Rangers. I didn’t know _I_ was a Ranger. I didn’t _know_ anything, and I _still_ don’t know anything now.”

After a beat of silence, Alpha speaks up. “I’m not detecting anything out of the ordinary.”

Tommy gestures towards him. “See? You believe me now?”

“But that’s the thing,” Jason says, scratching the back of his head. “Even if you aren’t in control or aware of what’s going on, it’s still _your_ body that Rita is using to carry out all of this chaos.”

“Rita?” she asks. “Come on, guys. You’ve gotta give me some more information with what’s going on. I’m completely lost.”

They’re hesitant to get any more specific, since they don’t know what information might potentially be used against them, but end up deciding it might be worse to keep Tommy completely in the dark. So they try to fill her in the best they can without overwhelming her. [And also without revealing _too_ much.]

“This is too much to process in one afternoon,” Tommy says, closing her eyes. “I’m getting a headache.”

“All we can do is wait for the energy to wear off,” Zordon says. “Possibly.”

“What do you mean, _‘possibly’_?” Kim asks, crossing her arms.

“This has never happened before. The information we have on this type of situation is limited.”

Tommy looks back and forth at everyone, lingering on Zordon for a second because _that_ is still freaking her out. “So, what? You guys have to lock me up so I don’t hurt anyone?”

Trini shrugs. “Works for me.”

“No.” Zack shakes his head. “There has to be another way to figure this out.”

“I wasn’t being _serious_ ,” Tommy says, turning to Trini. “What the hell, guys?”

Trini pauses, shaking her head. “You’re still dangerous. We don’t know if that stuff in that coin has worn off yet.”

“We can't just keep her here against her will,” Jason adds. “She has classes and a family and she can't just _not_ be there. She isn’t Rita. Imprisoning her down here is unrealistic _and_ unfair to her. If something happens and she attacks again, we can stop her. The odds are in our favor.”

“How are we supposed to know when it’s all gone, then?”

“Maybe we’ll just know…?” Billy offers.

“Yes. It is likely that you’ll be able to tell through the connection,” Zordon says.

That seems a little too open-ended to them, but it’s better than nothing.

“Wait a minute, you said the odds are in our favor?” Kim asks, moving closer to Jason and lowering her voice. “We’re still having trouble _morphing_. That’s not in our favor.”

“That’s…” Jason starts. “That’s a good point. I forgot about that.”

“I say we get to whatever you're talking about later, and _right now_ we get Tommy home before she has a breakdown.” Zack gestures in her direction. “She looks like she’s about to lose it.”

Tommy nods. “I am. Like, five more minutes, and I’m _done_.”

“Right. We, uh… We could all probably use some sleep after this,” Jason says.

Zack gives the, _“I’m watching you,”_ gesture to Tommy as he slowly backs away. “Don’t leave town, Tommy…”

“Honestly, I don’t think that’ll be a problem.” Leaving town? Not currently on her mind. The fact that she’s now a superhero and also somehow a bit of a super villain? That’s gonna keep her up tonight.

 

\---

 

**Rainbow Rangers**

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | it’skimberly! | dramatic.ass.ho]**

**lil z:** so…

 **lil z:** today was interesting

 **dramatic.ass.ho:** that’s one way to put it

 **lil z:** go ahead and get ur gloating out of the way

 **dramatic.ass.ho:** I’m not gonna gloat. I know all of you trusted her, and if I yelled at u abt how right I was, I’d be an ass. Tbh, I wanted to trust her for a while there, too, so…

 **dramatic.ass.ho:** even if I was right abt smth being off, I’m not happy abt it. I didn’t /want/ to be right

 **goldenboi:** We appreciate that, T

 **lil z:** ok i’ll do it for u

 **lil z:** just this once

 **lil z:** [ _pretends to be shocked.gif_ ]

 **dramatic.ass.ho:** ...nice choice

 **lil z:** ty

 **dramatic.ass.ho:** and even though we know /she's/ not evil, I think it's going to take a while before I can fully warm up to her

 **dramatic.ass.ho:** I'll try not to be a bitch again, but

 **dramatic.ass.ho:** it's weird to think about

 **goldenboi:** I get what you mean

 **billyc:** So, what do we do now? How do we morph again?

 **dramatic.ass.ho:** @lil z

 **lil z:** o right

 **lil z:** forgot i was the leader

 **lil z:** well, i guess we keep practicing and opening ourselves up to the grid and the connection or w/e. that’s the only way i can think of

 **billyc:** What about Tommy?

 **lil z:** what do u mean, blue?

 **billyc:** When we train, is she going to come along, too? And are we going to talk to her about joining us as soon as the energy has left her coin? How involved is she going to be?

 **dramatic.ass.ho:** ah, the big questions

 **lil z:** idk b, i think we just need to talk to her abt it

 **lil z:** but maybe we start by texting her tmrw or the day after so she has time to process everything

 **billyc:** Okay

 **dramatic.ass.ho:** u know what? It’s been over 24 hours and Kim still hasn’t given me a REAL new screen name, so I’m going back to my old one

**dramatic.ass.ho** changed their name to **trini//**

**lil z:** rip dramatic ass ho

 **lil z:** speaking of, where is kim??

 **goldenboi:** Don’t know

 **billyc:** She said she was tired. She might’ve already gone to bed.

 **lil z:** well @trini// ???

 **trini//:** I don’t know. I haven’t talked to her since we left the mtns

 **lil z:** what

 **lil z:** but ur always with her?

 **lil z:** and when u aren’t, u at least know where she is?

 **trini//:** ...sorry?

 **trini//:** I mean, I can go check on her, but I think Billy’s right. I’m not feeling anything weird coming from her rn, so she’s prob asleep

 **lil z:** ...ok then

 **lil z:** this team meeting is now over, thank u all for coming

 **trini//:** I didn’t realize this was a team meeting

 **lil z:** it was implied

 **trini//:** by u

 **lil z:** yes, me, the team leader

 **lil z:** and u dare to question the authority that YOU gave me??

 **goldenboi:** Wow. Get rekt, Trini.

 **trini//:** I can’t believe we’ve let both of u be in charge of us

 **lil z:** sounds like fate to me

 **trini//:** sure

 ****trini//:** ** that must be it

 

**\---**

 

Kimberly drags Trini off to the side of the hallway, glancing around the area before she turns back and begins to speak. “Can I talk to you about something? It’s stupid, but it’s kind of been bothering me…”

“Uh… I guess…?”

Trini’s really starting to wonder how they--all five (six) of the rangers--end up having so many “meaningful conversations” on school property. They might as well go ahead and set up something in the computer lab so they can talk to Alpha and Zordon from here, too.

Now she’s wondering if they were ever to video chat with Zordon, if it’d still be considered _FaceTime_ when it isn’t on an Apple device. _Face_ time. ‘Cause he’s a giant face.

...She has too many unnecessary thoughts.

“You remember that whole thing with Amanda and Harper in the bathroom?”

She nods. That isn’t something she’ll be forgetting anytime soon, even if it _has_ been some time since it happened.

“Right, so…” Kim continues. “Amanda said something about me stabbing you guys in the back, and that you shouldn’t be surprised when I did it. And you said you wouldn’t be.”

Okay, well _that part_ she doesn’t exactly remember. “That was awhile ago, Kim…”

“Yeah, I… I know. But I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and it’s just gonna stay in the back of my head if I don’t bring it up.”

“But why didn’t you say anything before?”

She shrugs. “I forgot at first. And then when I remembered… It didn’t seem important anymore. But now… You don’t have to lie and say you didn’t mean it if you did. I get why you would.”

Trini shakes her head. “I _did_ mean it. A little. But it wasn’t like I was waiting for you to screw up. In my head it sounded like it made sense. Because Amanda _was_ your best friend, and you _did_ grow up together. That’s a bond that you wouldn’t really expect to blow up so fast. But honestly? If you had done something fucked up again, I _would_ have been surprised. We’ve been through a lot together, and I know we’re all gonna make mistakes… But I don’t see you turning your back on us. And even if you still screw up, we aren’t going anywhere. It’d take a lot to scare us away by this point.”

Kim nods, letting out a deep breath.

“How long has that been on your mind?”

“ _Way_ too long.”

That's not very reassuring. "And you're going to be okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

They really should be getting to class now, but something makes Trini pause. "Do you feel that?"

Kim looks around. "Feel what?"

"I'm feeling something that you aren't?" Trini asks. "Nice to be on the other side of that for once."

She rolls her eyes. "No. I don't feel anything."

"Okay... That's... weird."

"Good weird, or bad weird?"

What kind of a question is that? "I don't know.  _Weird_ weird."

Okay, so the answer wasn't much better.

"Alright. If it isn't dire, I'm gonna go to class. Text me if you need me."

That's a great idea and all, but if she's going to  _do_ that, she'd rather not be the reason for Kim getting in trouble midway through class. "Is your sound off?"

Kim gives her a look that says,  _"seriously,"_ but what she really says is, "Yes. I can learn from my mistakes, T."

"If you say so."

Kimberly waits for Trini to walk in front of her before pulling her phone out and  _actually_ putting it on silent.

"You  _just_ turned the sound off, didn't you?" Trini says, not even pausing to look back at her.

"You can't even see me; how would you know that?"

"It was a guess and you just proved me right."

 

\---

 

***Long Drawn Out Sigh***

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | toliver | it’skimberly! | trini//]**

**lil z:** yo @toliver

 **lil z:** what’s good homegirl

 **toliver:** Please tell me that was all a dream

 **lil z:** if ur talking abt being a superhero and visiting an underground spaceship, I, unfortunately, cannot

 **toliver:** I was afraid of that

 **toliver:** I am… in distress

 **goldenboi:** You’ve at least had time for everything to settle in, right?

 **toliver:** Yeah, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less INSANE

 **it’skimberly!:** This does get pretty intense

 **toliver:** So… I know you’ve told me everything, but… What does it all mean? Like, do I have to fight things now? Am I supposed to be a part of your group?

 **lil z:** supposed to? yes

 **trini//:** we can’t force you to do anything, and other than what’s in that coin, there isn’t anything urgently dangerous for you to get involved in

 **toliver:** You mean I can just…? Refuse to be a Ranger?

 **billyc:** I don’t think that’s how it works

 **goldenboi:** We were all chosen to be Rangers for a reason. I don’t think it can just… go away

 **it’skimberly!:** Well, yeah. But the five of us sort of got thrown into this against our will and slowly got used to it. The least we can do is give Tommy a little bit of a choice. You probably won’t stop being a Ranger, but that doesn’t mean you have to join our team.

 **lil z:** but we know u love us, so

 **lil z:** is there rlly a question here?

 **toliver:** Honestly, I couldn’t deal with this on my own, and y’all are kind of my only real friends right now

 **toliver:** So

 **toliver:** I don’t think I’m going anywhere…

 **lil z:** fuck yeah!

 **toliver:** But are we sure that this possession stuff is going to wear off? Because you guys didn’t sound too sure of yourselves

 **billyc:** It has to wear off because the coin doesn’t belong to Rita anymore. Even if she had something left over, she’s gone now. So it doesn’t make sense that it would continue to last

 **lil z:** also, we couldn’t feel rita through the link, and i’m p sure i’ve gotten some of ur emotions recently

 **lil z:** nothing strong, but it was smth

 **trini//:** I think I’ve been able to feel her too

 **trini//:** I didn’t mean that in a creepy/sexual way

 **trini//:** just, like… her presence…

 **lil z:** omg, t, stop

 **it’skimberly!:** It didn’t sound creepy until you said it wasn’t

 **trini//:** great (sarcasm)

 **trini//:** sorry

 **lil z:** lmao

 **toliver:** No worries

 **toliver:** I’m flattered, honestly

 **toliver:** And, while we’re on the subject, WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU COULD FEEL MY EMOTIONS?

 **toliver:** WHAT FUCKING LINK??

 **lil z:** aw shit i knew we were forgetting smth

 **toliver:** Of all the things you told me, how was THAT the thing you forgot?

 **goldenboi:** We’ve gotten so used to it, it’s hard to remember that it wasn’t always there

 **lil z:** anyway, we’re all connected through the morphin grid, so we’re on the same wavelength and you’ll eventually be able to feel our emotions and stuff

 **lil z:** it’s a lil more complicated than that, but we’ll explain it all in detail later

 **goldenboi:** ...um *morphing ?

 **lil z:** no it’s morphin’

 **trini//:** wait what

 **toliver:** You’ve been superheroes for how long, and you still don’t even know your own lingo?

 **goldenboi:** ...are you serious?

 **lil z:** yes

 **billyc:** It’s Morphin’

 **trini//:** whAT

 **it’skimberly!:** What is happening?

 **billyc:** I didn’t realize Zack and I were the only ones who knew this

 **lil z:** the girls i can understand, but j how did you not know?

 **trini//:** idk if I should be insulted, but… I’m too confused to care rn

 **goldenboi:** ??? How did you know?

 **lil z:** it’s in the ranger handbook

 **goldenboi:** The what

 **goldenboi:** But… morphin isn’t a word

 **lil z:** tell that to the ranger gods

 **goldenboi:** Okay, now THAT’S fake

 **lil z:** ...is it?

 **trini//:** so when we morph, are we morphing or morphin’

 **toliver:** I am so genuinely confused by this conversation

 **billyc:** We’re morphing, but we’re connected to the Morphin’ Grid, and when Jason says it’s time to morph, he’s supposed to be saying “It’s Morphin’ Time!”

 **goldenboi:** I MADE THAT UP, WHAT DO YOU MEAN I’M “SUPPOSED TO SAY IT” THAT WAY

 **it’skimberly!:** Wow, Jace. You’re TAKIN’ this very seriously

 **lil z:** ya, stop MAKIN’ a fool of urself

 **toliver:** Idk what y’all are FUCKIN’ TALKIN’ abt, but it’s rlly enterTAININ’

 **trini//:** damn, Tommy

 **billyc:** That was AMAZIN’

 **lil z:** i love all of u so much omrg

 **trini//:** do I want to ask what that means?

 **lil z:** oh my ranger gods

 **trini//:** right. Obviously

 **toliver:** Okay, but seriously. Is there really a ranger handbook? ‘Cause I’d be down to read that during detention

 **toliver:** Guys?

 **it’skimberly!:** I don’t know if it’s real, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it were

 **it’skimberly!:** Zack’ll probably write you one if you ask nicely

 **trini//:** with help from Billy bc Z would get distracted halfway through and accidentally abandon it

 **it’skimberly!:** ^^

 **toliver:**  But where did they go?

 **trini//:** no idea

 **it’skimberly!:** Yeah, that was kind of weird

 **toliver:** ...alright?

 

 **lil z:** a book?

 **lil z:** i’m on it

 **it’skimberly!:** If this ends badly, it wasn’t my idea

 **toliver:** Where did the three of you go? It's been 4 hours since that last convo??

 **toliver:** Is no one going to answer me? Again?

 **toliver:** All 5 of you this time?

 **toliver:** I see how it is

 **toliver:** :(

 

\---

 

**Punch Your Problems**

****[toliver | it’skimberly!]** **

****it'skimberly!:**  **Okay, the first time the boys disappeared it was an accident, but now Zack's asked everyone not to respond for a while because he's thinking up a good way to mess with you. To "initiate you into the team" or smth

 **toliver:** What???

 **it'skimberly!:** Yeah, it's kind of mean. But he was only going to wait another hour before talking to you again

 **it'skimberly!:** Honestly, I don't really know what he's doing.

 **toliver:** Wow

 **toliver:** Okay, wait. I just got an idea

 

 

**Operation: Zack Taylor is a Jerk**

****[toliver | it’skimberly! | trini//]** **

**trini//:** nice name

 **trini//:** what's going on?

 **toliver:**  If Zack thinks he can take a shot at me and get away w/ it, he's delusional

 **toliver:** But if I'm gonna fire back, I need both of your help

 **it'skimberly!:** I'm a little bit terrified right now

 **toliver:** There's plenty of time. I've gotta wait for him to fire first before we do anything.

 **trini//:** I'll help, but only if the target stays off of me

 **toliver:** Don't worry. It should just look like it's coming from me.

 **toliver:** But, we'll see

 

\---

 

 "Do you think it was a mistake to bring her down here?" Trini asks from the rock she's sitting on. The other four are sparring with each other, so it might not be the  _best_ moment to start up a conversation with them.

Zack ducks a punch from Billy. "Why would it be a mistake?"

"We weren't getting anywhere before we got down here and explained everything," Jason adds. "And, you know... Seeing is believing."

"But we don't know how aware the _'Rita'_ part of her is. We could've just made a huge mistake by showing her our base of operations and telling her almost everything we know about being Rangers," Trini says.

The other four still have their heads mostly in the fight, so it takes a moment for another response. Zack glances at her to shake his head.

"Is it really dangerous? What could she do aside from attack us? It might even be better if she  _did_ attack here. If we can't morph, we can't fight up on the surface in front of people."

"Zordon didn't seem to think it was a problem," Billy says.

Trini doesn't exactly _trust_ Zordon's judgement. She shrugs, looking at the ground to kick at a few rocks. "It was just a question. I don't know."

"Well," Kimberly says, pausing to grab Jason by the arm and flip him onto his back. She looks back up, putting her hands on her hips while Jason lies on the ground attempting to catch his breath. "If it was a mistake, I'm sure we'll find out sooner than later."

While Kim's still distracted, Jason takes the opportunity to swipe his leg under her feet, causing her to fall too.

"Isn't it dishonorable to attack an opponent when their back is to you?"

Jason scoffs. "Your back wasn't to me; you just weren't looking at the ground."

"Same thing."

They both stay flat on their backs, Zack and Billy still fighting a few feet away.

"How long do you think this evil magic stuff is supposed to last, anyway?" Zack asks, and Trini shakes her head.

"That's the problem. We won't know until it's actually gone."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...it took all of my willpower not to include the line "Yer a Ranger, Tommy"  
>  I've had that Harry Potter scene stuck in my head since I wrote Tommy saying, "I'm a what?!"
> 
> Side note, I'm pretty much *always* on Tumblr, so if you ever have questions abt updates/the story/literally anything, u can always message me there


	16. It All Leads Back to the Coins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY that this took so long to update again. Like, I don't even have a good excuse this time, I'm just really sorry.  
> This ch is one of the longer ones I've done though, so I hope you aren't too upset with me?

**  
Black and Yellow**

**[lil z | trini//]**

**lil z:** i’m offended

 **lil z:** trini why didn’t you tell me

 **trini//:** tell u what?

 **lil z:** that u and kim finally KISSED

 **trini//:** how the hell would you know that??

 **lil z:** one mr. billiam cranston!!!

 **trini//:** how did he find out?

 **lil z:** hmm, well if it wasn’t from u, i really wonder who it POSSIBLY could have come from

 **trini//:** look z, it wasn’t on purpose. There’s been a lot going on recently

 **lil z:**...ok

 **lil z:** so what was it like

 **trini//:** I’m not giving you a play by play

 **lil z:** trini!!!!

 **trini//:** no

 **lil z:** mend my lonely heart…

 **trini//:** absolutely not

 **lil z:** …

 **lil z:** ok fine

 **lil z:** i’m not telling u if i ever fix my love life, then

 **trini//:** ok

 **lil z:** t

 **lil z:** ur supposed to be more disappointed abt that

 **trini//:** Zack, I love you. I really do. But you rlly need to learn how to chill out a little

 **lil z:** perhaps

 **trini//:** ok, but are u serious? Did u talk to ur boys?

 **lil z:** “my boys”

 **lil z:** why should i tell u?

 **trini//:** bc I know u want to

 **lil z:** ok ur right

 **lil z:** i sort of talked to them

 **trini//:** ?

 **lil z:** it’s complicated

 **trini//:** ...ya, sounds like it

 **lil z:** i’ll update u when smth happens

 **trini//:** ok?

 **lil z:** ALSO UPDATE ME W/ U AND KIM

 **trini//:** how much is there for me to possibly update u on?

 **lil z:** plenty?

 **lil z:** it’s ok, you’ll learn

 

\---

 

**Pink Lemonade**

**[it’skimberly! | trini//]**

**trini//:** Kimberly

 **it’skimberly!:** What’s with the full name?

 **trini//:** Zack just asked me why I didn’t tell him that we kissed

 **it’skimberly!:** Oh

 **trini//:** I asked how he knew and he said Billy told him

 **trini//:** how did Billy find out, Kim?

 **it’skimberly!:** Right. Well.

 **it’skimberly!:** I told him

 **trini//:** but why

 **it’skimberly!:** Billy’s super easy to talk to

 **it’skimberly!:** I needed to talk through some stuff, and it just came out, and he didn’t make a big deal about it so I sort of forgot that it happened

 **it’skimberly!:** Sorry

 **trini//:** I mean, I’m not upset that they know now, I just would’ve liked to have some say over how people found out. Zack’s low key heartbroken that he didn’t find out from me

 **it’skimberly!:** I am curious about how that came up in a conversation, though

 **trini//:** idk, Zack was prob talking abt how we need to get it together and kiss already, and then Billy would say, “Oh, that already happened” or smth

 **it’skimberly!:** Speaking of the boys, I’m getting the feeling that Jason likes another member of our team in addition to Billy

 **trini//:** I’m gonna hope and assume u mean Zack

 **it’skimberly!:** Yeah. It’s Zack.

 **it’skimberly!:** Just to make everything going on rn a little more complicated

 **trini//:** actually that might not go as terribly as you’d think

 **trini//:** hold up let me text him and make sure I’m allowed to tell u

 **it’skimberly!:** Oh come on

 **it’skimberly!:** Why would you say something if you don’t know??

 **it’skimberly!:** Triniiiii

 **it’skimberly!:** If you find out you can’t tell me idk if I’ll be able to forgive you

 **it’skimberly!:** I’m not the kind of person who can just let smth go and be at peace w/ knowing I’ll never know

 **trini//:** what?

 **trini//:** dude, I was barely gone for 2 minutes, chill out

 **trini//:** he said I could tell u tho

 **it’skimberly!:** Thank god

 **trini//:** yea, so Zack likes J and B

 **it’skimberly!:** Oh

 **it’skimberly!:** OH

 **it’skimberly!:** Aw, our boys love e/o

 **trini//:** well we don’t know abt Billy

 **it’skimberly!:** That’s true. But they’re still cute

 **it’skimberly!:** Also, it can work even if Billy doesn’t like Zack

 **trini//:** yeah

 **trini//:** get it Jason

 **trini//:** I regretted typing that as soon as I sent it

 **it’skimberly!:** You’re right though

 **it’skimberly!:** Zordon the matchmaker

 **trini//:** I can’t believe you typed that

 **it’skimberly!:** Yeah, I kind of regret it

 **trini//:** ok I gtg

 **it’skimberly!:** Seriously, pls forget that I ever sent that

 **it’skimberly!:** Zordon doesn’t deserve the credit

 **trini//:** no he doesn’t

 **trini//:** if I’m thanking anyone it’s the coins

 **it’skimberly!:** Or your water bottle

 **trini//:** are u really prepared to bring that up again

 **it’skimberly!:** ...No?

 **trini//:** didn’t think so

 **trini//:** seeya later

 **it’skimberly!:** [ _heart emoji_ ]

 **trini//:** you’re way too sappy

 **it’skimberly!:** [ _three heart emojis_ ]

 **trini//:** why do I like you

 **it’skimberly!:** [ _yellow heart_ ] [ _pink sparkle heart_ ]

 **trini//:** Kim

 **it’skimberly!:** [ _multicolored series of heart emojis_ ]

 **trini//:** oh my god

 **trini//:** [ _heart emoji_ ]

 **it’skimberly!:** Yay!

 **it’skimberly!:** Thank you

 **trini//:** I hope u understand that I’ve gotta really like you to use a heart emoji for u

 **it’skimberly!:** I do

 **it’skimberly!:** The significance isn’t lost on me. I’ll remember this

 **trini//:** u better

 **trini//:** srsly have to go now, bye

 **it’skimberly!:** [ _heart emoji_ ]

 

\---

 

“Look, it’s working,” Zack says, holding his arms out as his armor begins to cover them. And then the armor stops abruptly and Zack shakes his hands out, hoping that’ll kick start the morphing again. Nothing changes. “Uh… Nevermind.”

“So, here’s the thing,” Trini says. “If this isn’t working because Tommy’s in the link, but this Rita thing is blocking us from being totally connected… What the hell are we supposed to do? We can’t morph until Tommy’s free from that space-bitch, but we _need_ to morph to keep the town safe from her.”

Kimberly nods. “Sounds like we’re screwed.”

“Yeah, that might be an understatement.”

“If we’re lucky, it’ll wear off before she gets the chance to attack again.” Jason sighs.

“We can’t keep counting on _luck_ to get us out of these situations,” Kim says.

They all know that she’s right. That a lot of the reason the five of them are still standing there, unharmed and alive, has a lot to do with being lucky. But they also don’t have much of a choice of doing anything else.

“So what’s more important? Protecting everyone, or protecting our identities?” Jason asks, but he already knows which one he would choose.

Zack gives them all a look, like he can’t believe it isn’t obvious to them. “We protect the town. Right?”

“Well…” Billy starts. “I agree that we shouldn’t let anyone get hurt, but keeping it a secret that we’re Rangers _is_ a rule that we’re supposed to follow. But there is no rule stating that we have to put other people’s safety before our own.”

“Really? But isn’t that what we _do_? We protect people,” Kimberly says, but it’s obvious that she isn’t very confident with the statement.

Trini shakes her head. “No, he’s right. We’re just supposed to protect the crystal.”

Jason crosses his arms, shaking his head too. “Sacrificing few to save the many? I don’t like that. I’d rather lose my powers than let innocent people die just so we don’t get found out.”

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem. We _have_ to protect the crystal, so we’ll be saving everyone else by default.”

“Unless she doesn’t go for the crystal and just wants to cause destruction. Then we’d be expected to stand down until we can morph again.”

Kim sighs, running a hand through her hair. “This is messed up…”

“Actually…” Zack starts. “If we can’t morph because Tommy’s a part of the link now… Doesn’t that mean _she_ shouldn’t be able to morph either?”

The other four look at each other.

Jason nods. “I think that’s what we need to hope for.”

“Why doesn’t she have a platform?” Trini asks, glancing around the room at their five separate stations. If the Green Ranger was always a part of the _Ranger Squad_ , there should be another platform for her. Unless Zordon and co. had just given up on Rita (and any future replacement) and tore the thing right out of the ship.

She’d say that’d be a bit dramatic, but if she had to describe her _own_ team in one word? Dramatic wouldn’t be a bad choice.

Billy looks around the room, too, slightly confused. Even if they had removed a sixth platform, the way everything is spaced out still wouldn’t make sense. “Was there never a sixth platform?”

“There _is_ a sixth station for the Green Ranger,” Zordon says, but Zack looks up at him in disbelief.

“Then where is it?” The expression on his face fades a bit, and a smile replaces it. “ _Wait_ . Is it invisible? Out of all the things you could make invisible, that one would be a little boring as far as _wow factor_ goes, but it’d still be pretty sick.”

“It’s not invisible,” Zordon says, ignoring Zack’s disappointment. “It will appear once Tommy is fully connected to the five of you. The Morphin’ Grid will reinstall it.”

“ _Morphin’_ ” Trini mumbles, but Jason can still hear it.

He shoots her a look. “Don’t.”

“Okay, well,” Zack says. “I guess if we’re just wasting our time here, we might as well go train in the Pit for a while, right? Maybe we can try partially morphing and punch each other where we don’t have armor just to see what it feels like.”

Trini nods. “Cool. I’m in.”

Jason watches as they jump down from their platforms and head over to the door. It hurts enough when they’re just hitting each other without any of their armor, but _this_? Yeah, this is gonna hurt.

 

\---

 

It turns out that “hiding” in the school hallway to keep an eye on Tommy’s locker _isn’t_ as easy as Zack was hoping it would be. He doesn’t want to miss seeing his _genius_ plan play out, but he also can’t look too suspicious before it even happens.

Okay, so _genius plan_ might be a little bit of an over exaggeration.

It’s actually kind of dumb.

But did he have fun setting it up? Absolutely. And that’s all that matters, right?

Tommy rounds the corner, going straight for her locker with an almost bored look on her face. The combination is in, the lock is off, she’s pushing up the handle to open the door, and…

Dozens of doughnuts fall out, all hitting Tommy on the way down because she’s just standing there, frozen, until it stops.

Thankfully they aren’t glazed or iced, but… still. Where did someone get _this many_ doughnuts _just_ to stuff them in her locker? And how did they get _into_ her locker to do it? Also, if they weren’t going to spring for some chocolate sprinkled (at the very least), they could’ve just used bagels and it would’ve had the same effect. Circular bread. Even if they _are_ made from different dough.

“What… the hell?”

“Whoa, Tommy,” Zack says, smiling as he walks towards her. “Didn’t realize you liked doughnuts that much…”

Tommy slowly turns to look at him.

“I think it’s unsanitary not keeping those in some sort of container, though…”

“What is this, Taylor?”

Zack shrugs. “A bunch of doughnuts in your locker.”

“But _why_?”

“Oh, Tommy…”

“ _Zack_. I’m not cleaning this up.”

He shakes his head. “No, I didn’t expect you to. I’ve got it, don’t worry.”

“What was the point?”

Zack sighs. “ _Well_ . Mostly to see the look on your face, and that was _gold_ . But, I also thought you should understand how… _important_ doughnuts are to the five of us. The answer is _very_. Also, don’t eat any of them. They’re from the reject pile at work, and I got them for free, so I wouldn’t take my chances.”

Tommy nods, still slightly confused. “How’d you get _in_ there, and what did you do with my stuff?”

“Oh. I got your combo from Billy, and your stuff is in my locker. _My, Trini,_ and _Kim’s_ locker.”

“You’re fitting four people’s things in one locker?”

Zack shakes his head. “Nah, just three. All my stuff’s at home.”

It wasn't as terrible as she was expecting, but if this is his way of  _initiating her_ into the  _Ranger Squad_ , she still needs to fire back. She isn't entirely sure  _how_ she'll do that yet, but it's gonna happen. "This was really unnecessary."

" _Unnecessary_ is my middle name," Zack says, and then pauses. He was expecting her to call him  _extra_ ; Zachary "Extra" Taylor has a much better ring to it. "Wow, that was  _sad_."

"Yeah, you walked into that one." She spins on her heel to walk away. "I'm leaving."

"Alright. Welcome to the team, Tommy!"

Tommy shakes her head. "Have fun cleaning that up,  _Taylor_."

 

\---

 

***Long Drawn Out Sigh***

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | toliver | it’skimberly! | trini//]**

**toliver:** Um… guys…

 **toliver:** So when you feel that stuff from the link thing…

 **toliver:** It’s like? You just sorta KNOW it’s not coming from you, right?

 **toliver:** That’s how it happens?

 **lil z:** yeah, p much

 **lil z:** whatcha feelin, girl?

 **toliver:** Uh

 **toliver:** Idk, a little terrified? It’s faint, but I can tell it isn’t coming from me.

 **lil z:** oh… well… my guess is someone’s havin a nightmare

 **toliver:** Yeah, I was asleep, so I sorta figured.

 **toliver:** Do you know who?

 **lil z:** well there’s a one in four chance that a guess would be correct

 **goldenboi:** It isn’t from me, and I’m not w/ any of the others rn

 **goldenboi:** But I don’t think it’s from Billy

 **lil z:** ya, me either

 **goldenboi:** ur that in sync w/ him too?

 **lil z:** apparently so

 **toliver:** So that narrows it down

 **lil z:** it’s prob trini. but if it’s kim, either way they’ll be w/ each other, so we don’t have to worry abt anything

 **toliver:** Are u sure? Bc I know you guys said my connection to y’all would be weaker at first, and this is p uncomfortable

 **goldenboi:** Oh, well… I think Trini’s nightmare situation in particular is a little complicated for *us* to explain

 **lil z:** ya, that’s 4 t to talk abt if she wants to

 **toliver:** Oh. Alright, I guess

 **toliver:** Guess I’m back to sleep, then

 **lil z:** bye, have better dreams this time

 

 

**Double T**

**[toliver | trini//]**

**toliver:** Hey, I’m starting to feel stuff through the link and the guys said it was probably you having a nightmare. Are you okay?

 

\---

 

They’re both sitting on Trini’s bed, facing each other on either end instead of side by side. It isn’t the worst nightmare she’s had, and she _did_ manage to get a good amount of sleep, but it’s still taking a while for her to calm down from all of that adrenaline.

Kim’s phone constantly going off doesn’t make it much easier.

The only reason she can’t immediately turn the ringer off is because she left her phone _on the desk_ after she first climbed through the window. That wouldn’t be a problem if she could remember what Trini keeps telling her and just _turned the sound off_ before it could become a problem. But that’s easier said than done. She’s used to _hearing_ her phone; not having to check it or respond to the buzzing from being on vibrate.

Once it _is_ off, they can more clearly hear Trini’s phone buzzing instead. That goes off a couple more times before it stops, and they’re sitting in silence again.

And then it buzzes _one more time_ , and Kim notices that her own screen isn’t lighting up.

“That one’s just to you; I didn’t get another notification.”

Trini takes a deep breath before grabbing her phone to check it, clicking the power button once before just throwing it onto the space in front of her. “It’s Tommy.”

“You don’t have to answer any of them right now. You just need to focus on staying calm.”

Staying calm is exactly what she wants to do. But right now all she can focus on is how… confused she is. Tommy was sort of _in_ her nightmare. Maybe not _Tommy_ , maybe just _RitaPossessed!_ Tommy, but either way it’s still the same face. And now Tommy’s texting her, but that’s not _normal_ . Tommy never messages _just her_. The timing is… it just doesn’t feel right.

“I have to bring it up eventually,” Trini says, mostly to herself. “It’d probably save a lot of confusion, and I guess… she sort of deserves to know.”

Kimberly doesn’t really know what she’s talking about, but it isn’t hard to take a leap and guess. Tommy knows about their history with Rita, but she doesn’t know _Trini’s_ . [They didn’t mention what happened with Billy, either. She had _just_ found out about being a Ranger; throwing that heavy stuff out there on top of that seemed like too much.]

But Tommy’s involved now, so she deserves to know what happened and how it now relates to her. Trini needs her to understand that she doesn’t hate her, but that she still can’t get past the thought that _Rita_ has some sort of hold on her. The last time she was face to face with Rita it was bad enough. And before that, when she was attacked in her room, it was worse. She was helpless and couldn’t do anything--back then she couldn’t morph yet.

She can’t morph (completely) now either. That’s probably what the nightmare was about. It’s like history is repeating itself and she’s trying not to put that all on Tommy, but… It’s not easy.

It’s not fair, either. To any of them.

“I don’t think I can tell her about this stuff in person,” Trini says, and then pauses to elaborate. But she can’t come up with the words to explain what she means. That physically being in front of _Tommy_ while talking about _Rita_ would be too much.

“Text her tomorrow and explain it then.”

She still feels weird about it, but just accepts it’s the best thing she can do.

Kim waits a moment before speaking again. “Do you want _me_ to text them and let them know you’re alright?”

“I don’t know. Sure?”

As she unlocks her phone to pull up the group chat, Kim glances up once. “What are the chances of you getting some sleep before morning?”

Trini sighs, shrugging. “Not high, but not impossible.”

 _Not impossible_ is better than nothing.

 

\---

 

**Double T**

**[toliver | trini//]**

**trini//:** I’m fine, but thanks for checking in

 **trini//:** I’ll explain what they were talking abt later tho

 **trini//:** it’s kinda complicated

 

\---

 

When they invited Tommy over to Billy’s house for an after school hang out, they didn’t take the proper precautions to double check the area for anything they didn’t want to be found. And when she asked if she could be nosy and look around the place, Billy said he didn’t mind as long as she didn’t touch anything. It isn’t the end of the world. Not technically.

But it might as well be with the image they have before them.

Tommy, now looking at them after having found something on one of Billy’s desks, and a slight smile on her face as she says, “Did I just find your mixtape or something?”

That’s a very good question. That they don’t want to answer.

Because the answer is yes.

[Not technically a _mixtape_ , but a CD.]

The _one_ song that Jason _secretly_ recorded.

They were careless… Leaving it out in the open like that.

Honestly, they _deserve_ to be exposed for not being smart enough to hide it.

“Uh. Yes,” Zack says.

“Wait, so this is really all of you? You’re playing music on this thing?”

Trini nods. “Unfortunately.”

“Is that a condition of being on your Ranger team? I’ve gotta join the band?” she asks, crossing her arms.

Jason’s about to say _no_ , but Tommy still looks like she’s ready to say something.

“I mean… I don’t have much to offer musically, but I can rock a _mean_ triangle.”

“Actually…” Zack starts to say, but the look Trini’s giving him makes him stop. “No, it was just something we did for fun back when we had free time.”

“Free time _and_ extra energy,” Kim adds.

Billy nods. “It was fun while it lasted. I kind of miss it, but Kim’s right. We don’t have the energy for it even when we aren’t busy. A triangle would be interesting to add to the composition, though.”

“What did you write songs about?” she asks. “Saving the world, secret identities, being super gay for eachother?”

“Unfortunately most of those songs were taken. Hannah Montana beat us to the cut.” Kimberly shakes her head sadly.

Zack jumps a little, making an enthusiastic noise. “Ah! My taco song!”

“You wrote a song about tacos?” Tommy asks, more amused than anything.

“No, please don’t bring that up again.” Trini shakes her head. “I had almost forgotten about it completely.”

“It was actually a good song,” Billy says, and Zack smiles at him before sticking his tongue out at Trini.

Tommy’s still smiling. “Okay, now you _have_ to share it with me. Zack Taylor the secret poet? I’ve gotta hear that.”

“Unfortunately it was never recorded. It only exists on paper. Or, through text,” Jason says.

“I want to read it, then.”

Zack throws some finger guns in her direction. “Don’t worry; I’ve got you.”

He has to sift through some stuff on his phone for a while, but eventually he finds his “masterpiece,” and sends it to Tommy. She takes her time looking through it, and, as Zack would say, completely immersing herself in his artistic genius. While he’s thinking about it, he should probably give it a _real_ name. Not that _The Taco Song_ is terrible, but something that great deserves a more… poetic title. He’ll have to take his time on that one.

“This…” Tommy says, lowering her phone. “Is amazing. You are truly talented.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

Trini stares at her. “Are you serious?”

She nods. “Yeah. I honestly kind of love it.”

“Art recognizes art, T.” Zack smiles, and Trini shakes her head.

“You have no idea what you’re saying.”

Tommy turns back to Billy’s desk, looking over everything again. “Am I gonna come across _more_ stuff like that if I keep looking? Please say yes.”

They really _really_ hope not.

And _they_ mostly means Jason and Trini. The others don’t really care what she finds.

 

\---

 

"He filled your locker... with doughnuts...?" Kimberly says slowly. The more she thinks about it, the more it actually makes sense.  Or,  _it_ doesn't make sense, but the fact that  _Zack_ did it does.

Tommy suddenly looks a lot less confused, and a little more relieved. "So that  _isn't_ normal?"

Trini shakes her head. "I don't know if anything Zack does is normal."

“That’s pretty resourceful, though,” Kim says. “I’ve gotta give him credit for that.”

“So what do we do?” Tommy asks, looking back and forth at the two of them.

“Were Jason and Billy in on it?”

“He said Billy’s the one who got him into my locker, so. Yeah, probably.”

Trini sits up a bit, surprised. “He got _Billy_ in on it? Wow.”

“Did you have any ideas?” Kim asks, crossing her arms.

Tommy nods. “Yeah, a couple…”

They wait for her to continue, but just end up sitting in silence. Trini leans forward, raising her eyebrows. “Care to enlighten us…?”

“No, I want your ideas first.”

“But that’s so complicated. Why wouldn’t you just tell us what you already have?”

“If I tell you my ideas, it’ll change the way you’re thinking. I need unbiased thoughts first.”

Kim glances at Trini, but she looks just as confused. “...What?”

“It makes sense, trust me.”

“How are you and Zack so similar but so different at the same time?” Trini asks, shaking her head.

“So you’ll help me?”

Kim nods. “Uh, a chance to mess with Zack? Hell yeah.”

“Nice!” Tommy puts a hand in the air so the two of them can high five, and Trini sits back, slightly worried about where this is going.

“Why do I feel like I’m babysitting right now?”

“T. Come on.” Kim gives her a meaningful look. “You can’t tell me you don’t want to mess with him.”

“I didn’t say I _didn’t_ want to. I’m just saying the two of you are high maintenance, and one of us has to be thinking straight so we don’t get arrested.”

Tommy attempts to hold back a smile. “You should’ve used a different expression, because I’ve got dozens of straight jokes running through my head right now, and I desperately want to use a few.”

“We won’t get arrested,” Kim says. “He put doughnuts in her locker; we don’t need to retaliate with anything too serious.”

Trini’s going to agree to help out because she _does_ want the chance to mess with Zack (after the hundreds of times he’s gotten away with messing with her), but they don’t need to know how committed to this she is. But she stands by her statement that Kimberly and Tommy are high maintenance; she _is_ serious about one of them needing to be the responsible one. And, honestly, she doesn’t have a problem with that person being _her_.

She kind of prefers it that way.

 

\---

 

**Double T**

**[toliver | trini//]**

**trini//:** look, I get a lot of nightmares. We all do, but it’s a little more of a problem for me and billy

 **trini//:** we kind of had our own encounters w/ Rita before she attacked all of us

 **toliver:** Oh. I’m sorry; you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to. I get that it’s weird.

 **trini//:** it /is/ weird, but you’re a part of it now, so u should know why I’m acting like a bitch to you all the time

 **trini//:** Rita broke into my house while I was sleeping and attacked me before any of us could morph. She almost killed me. And then bc of that, I accidentally lead everyone else to a trap she was planning, and she killed Billy. He drowned. But we carried him back to the ship, and Zordon transferred the extra energy from the morphing grid to bring him back

 **trini//:** we got lucky. So it’s a little more personal for the two of us. But Billy’s better at separating the two of you in his head.

 **trini//:** I think u can get why I wasn’t jumping at the chance to believe u were innocent

 **toliver:** No, I understand why you wouldn’t trust me. You guys have been through a lot; I wouldn’t want to take any chances either.

 **toliver:** Actually, I’m a little surprised you’ve all trusted me as much as you have. I haven’t done anything to prove that I’m on your side

 **trini//:** yeah, that wasn’t from me. You can thank the others for that

 **trini//:** Zack has a big heart

 **trini//:** they all do

 **toliver:** I know you didn’t have to tell me about any of that, but thanks for doing it anyway.

 **toliver:** Kinda feel like garbage knowing her coin chose me as a replacement

 **toliver:** But if I can do anything to keep that “evil energy” or w/e it’s called at bay, then I will

 **trini//:** thanks

 **toliver:** Thank y’all for not locking me up down in that ship

 **trini//:** don’t thank me for that either

 **toliver:** Ok, you don’t have to tell me every time you haven’t been on my side

 **toliver:** I mean that in the most lighthearted way possible

 **trini//:** hey, I don’t have anything against you as a person, Tommy

 **trini//:** I want to get Rita out of your coin too

 **toliver:** Let’s hope that happens sooner than later

 **trini//:** definitely

 

\---

 

***Long Drawn Out Sigh***

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | toliver | it’skimberly! | trini//]**

**lil z:** hey, guys

 **lil z:** fun fact

 **lil z:** we’re still connected by the link, and the last time smth like this happened it was very VERY uncomfortable, so keep it in ur pants?

 **lil z:** k thnx bye

 **toliver:** Oh, god. We’re connected THAT way, too?

 **lil z:** sorry to be the one to break it to u

 **lil z:** literally, tho. @trimberly i’m w/ the boys and this isn’t from tommy

 **lil z:** like, congrats, but also, pls stop

 **trini//:** we aren’t doing anything

 **lil z:** evidence says otherwise

 **it’skimberly!:** Hey, another fun fact: if you just stop focusing on everyone else’s emotions, they’ll just… go away

 **it’skimberly!:** Mind blowing, I know

 **lil z:** whEN DID U FIGURE THIS OUT?

 **it’skimberly!:** Shortly after “the last time smth like this happened”

 **toliver:** I'm sorry, what?

 **toliver:** "Trimberly"

 **toliver:**  What happened to "We're really close, but you're assumption is WRONG"????

 **lil z:** hmm, good question

 **toliver:** Oh my god...

 **toliver:** I just realized when I brought up the power rangers before I knew they were you, Kim said her favorite ranger was yellow...

 **toliver:** And Trini, reluctantly, said pink was her fave...

 **lil z:** they've been flirting w/ e/o all the time how are u just now questioning it

 **toliver:** I'm a naturally flirty person; I just assumed it was normal for all of you to flirt w/ each other.

 **lil z:** to an extent, but nothing they do is platonic anymore

 **toliver:** Funny that they've just disappeared again...

 **lil z:** "we aren't doing anything"

 **lil z:** you're only proving us right by leaving

 

\---

 

“So we’re making this official?”

Trini nods. “Looks that way, yeah.”

“But, like… _official_ official? Or just official?”

“Is that how you and your cheer buddies labeled things, because I don’t understand what you mean…?”

Kimberly rolls her eyes, pushing herself up into a sitting position. Trini doesn’t move from how she’s lying on her side of the bed. “I mean, are we official just to our friends? Or are we going public? Or _semi_ -public?”

“Oh. Semi-public sounds okay to me.”

“Okay. So what about family stuff?” Kim glances down and to the side to see Trini’s eyes widen, and she quickly shakes her head. “No, I mean… Your brothers already sort of know. But it’s fine if I don’t keep it from my parents anymore?”

“Yeah, that’s totally up to you. I thought you said they weren’t that involved in your life right now, though? That all they care about is you staying out of trouble so you don’t get barred from every decent college you might apply to.”

Kim nods. “No, that’s right. But I still talk to them when I can. They don’t _want_ to cut me off, and I’m supposed to… try being more open with them. My relationship with them is complicated.” She pauses. “But what about your parents? Is anything happening with them?”

Trini’s hesitant to say anything because she doesn’t really know _how_ to answer that. Her relationship with her parents is also complicated. “Not really. My mom said she was okay when everything first went down, but if I told her, or she somehow found out about us… I think it’d get a lot more real for her. Maybe too real. I don’t know.”

Things are getting too real for all of them.

This isn’t how their high school years were supposed to go.

Sometimes they forget about how messed up everything is for them compared to other people.

“So are we going to respond to them now?” Kim asks, gesturing to their phones lying in between them on the bed.

“Oh.” Trini grabs for hers. “Right. I forgot about that.”

 

\---

 

***Long Drawn Out Sigh***

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | toliver | it’skimberly! | trini//]**

**it’skimberly!:** We still didn’t really know what we were, and we had just met you. That seemed like smth a little too complicated to explain on the spot like that

 **toliver:** Ok… I guess that makes sense.

 **toliver:** I stand by my earlier statement that you’d be cute together. I was right.

 **trini//:** when did you say that??

 **toliver:** Maybe I just said it in my head.

 **toliver:** Oh well. It’s out there now.

 **trini//:** ...thanks?

 **lil z:** u totally changed the subject. If this is smth we’re feeling, we have the right to know. You don’t get to deny smth like that… don’t discredit our feelings…

 **goldenboi:** We may have the right to know, but I would prefer NOT to. Pls and thank you.

 **billyc:** Zack said they first experienced that aspect of our connection because of me and you, Jason. I don’t think they wanted to know about that, either, but they didn’t get the choice.

 **lil z:** exactly

 **trini//:** woww, so z and k felt stuff from you guys, and tommy saw you, and I’m over here. Blessed w/ not having to experience any of that

 **it’skimberly!:** Whatever, you don’t have the right to know anything Zack. Just tune out w/e you’re feeling

 **lil z:** kimberly

 **lil z:** i’m hurt

 **trini//:** dude, we deserve SOME privacy

 **lil z:** well that i do agree with

 **lil z:** however

 **lil z:**  we didn't know that was possible until kim told us a half hour ago

 **lil z:** so u still have smth to answer for

 **trini//:** honestly Zack. We weren't doing anything

 **lil z:** maybe, but u were THINKING abt doing smth weren't u

 **trini//:** ok THAT is actually none of ur business

 **it'skimberly!:** I get that we're close, guys. But I'm not sure I want us to be close enough to feel comfortable talking about *this*

 **goldenboi:**  Me either

 **lil z:** no, I don't think any of us WANT that, it's just smth that comes w the job

 **trini//:** this job sucks

 **itskimberly!:** How about we just make a pact that we'll work on tuning e/o's emotions out when it's necessary?

 **lil z:** that I can agree to

 **lil z:** ty

 

\---

 

When Trini grabs for a potato chip to throw at Zack, he quickly throws his hands up in defense and tells her to _wait_ as Kim chimes in to add that she’s having a good hair day and _doesn’t_ want to sit through a food fight. They’ve been able to throw things at each other before--a crumpled up napkin or stray fry--but they aren’t taking any chances today. Trini settles for kicking him under the table.

Billy had been helping Jason to stack their plastic utensils with other random objects they could find in the cafeteria, but the movement from the kick shakes the table enough to make their creation fall over.

“Aw, Trini,” Jason says sadly, but Billy barely pauses before he begins to reconstruct it.

“Sorry guys.”

Tommy’s sort of staring off into space, not paying any attention to what’s going on around the table.

Zack notices, glancing at her once before turning back to his food. “Yo, Tommy. What’s up? You’re lookin’ a little spaced.”

Tommy blinks a couple of times, her eyes glowing green for a second, and then looks back at the others, seemingly back to normal. “Sorry. What?”

No one seems to notice what just happened except for Trini, and even she’s doubting that it wasn’t her imagination. It only lasted for a _second_ , and nothing else looks like it’s off at all. But her eyes looked _exactly_ like Rita’s. The image of them is still permanently stuck in her mind; that isn’t something she would easily forget.

But that doesn’t mean it was real.

“Trini,” Jason says. “Are you okay?”

“Are any of us?” Zack asks. “First Tommy, now T. Am I missing something?”

She doesn’t really know how to process it, and she doesn’t know how to even approach telling them what’s going on. Especially with Tommy sitting right there. She has no idea if Tommy’s _Tommy_ right now, because apparently she looks exactly the same when Rita’s taking over. Not that she would know that first hand, but if Tommy was able to go through school possessed without anyone noticing anything off, then it’s safe to assume she _looks_ exactly the same.

The green eyes could be the signal for when her consciousness shifts.

Should she stay quiet? She might be able to make it to the end of lunch without freaking out too much. But then again, if Tommy’s Rita, she doesn’t want to be anywhere near her.

But that’s putting everyone else in danger.

She’s sort of stuck.

She ends up nodding so Jason doesn’t keep questioning her, and that’s enough to get her through the rest of lunch.

But Kimberly isn’t convinced that everything’s fine. She’s asking if Trini’s okay before they can make it out into the hallway.

There’s a big part of her that wants to ignore it. She’s had hallucinations like these before, so it’s very possible that that’s all it is now. But it’s also very possible that it was _real_.

When she still can’t give an answer, Kim pulls her into the nearest bathroom and then waits until it sounds like the halls have cleared out. Just to ensure they’ll be alone for now. Neither of them need to be ditching anymore, but this’ll have to be an exception.

“What the hell is going on?” she asks. “Please talk to me. You’re freaking out right now.”

“I thought…” Trini starts to say, but then shakes her head. “I don’t know.”

“Trini.”

She takes a moment to figure out how to word it. “Tommy’s eyes were green.”

“Ok… A lot of people have green eyes, Trin. It’s just a funny coincidence.”

She shakes her head. “No. Tommy doesn’t _have_ green eyes. And even if she did, they wouldn’t look like… that.”

Kim tries to think that over, but isn’t coming up with anything. “What does that mean?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are you sure that’s what you saw?”

“No. That’s why I didn’t say anything.”

“But they were green. Like, _Rita_ green?”

Trini nods. “When she broke into my room and morphed in front of me, that’s _exactly_ what she looked like.”

“So she could be dangerous right now.”

“ _I don’t know_ , Kim.”

Kim steps forward, putting her hands on Trini’s shoulders to steady her. “Alright, I’ll text the guys and tell them to be on guard, but _you_ need to calm down. We can’t figure anything out if you aren’t thinking clearly.”

“Okay. Fine.” After Kim lets go of her, she moves back, looking around the bathroom before pushing herself up to sit on one of the sinks. “God, why can’t we just fix her stupid coin? I fucking hate this.”

“ _Trini_.”

“ _What?_ ”

“Look, I don’t have a speech to give you to convince you to listen to me, so can you just… do me a favor and _try_ to relax? For five minutes?”

Trini finally pauses to take a deep breath, and then she nods. “Yeah.”

“Thank you.”

They both take the time (and silence) to calm down and recollect their thoughts. And that helps them both to realize there isn’t anything they can do while the others are still in class. They can’t exactly pull Tommy out of Math with the excuse that they _just want to check and see if she’s evil right now._

“Are we going back to class?” Kim ends up asking.

“We should.”

“But _are_ we?”

Trini only shrugs in response.

“I don’t need to get into anymore trouble. You can stay, but I’m going back.”

She doesn’t even need to think about it to know that she’s leaving and going back with Kim. Even if ditching is much more appealing.

They don’t make it very far from the bathroom before running into another obstacle.

An administrator who happened to be roaming the area spots them from the other end of the hall, and then calls out to ask if they have a hall pass.

Kimberly sighs, muttering, “Fuck me,” under her breath as the admin walks closer to them.

Trini barely has enough time to whisper back, “Tempting, but I don’t think this is the time _or_ place.”

Kim tries to elbow her as subtly as possible, and then finally tells the guy that she was taking Trini to the nurse because she wasn't feeling well. It's the only excuse she could come up with on the spot.

He nods, gesturing behind them. “The nurse’s office is that way.”

“Oh,” Kim turns, nodding. “Right. Thanks.”

So the upside is that they don’t get in trouble. The downside is that Kim _actually_ has to take Trini to the nurse because it’s in the same direction the administrator is going.

That’s one really awkward walk across the school.

 

\---

 

The car ride home Trini takes with her mom isn’t much better. It’s quiet for the first five minutes of the ride, and then her mom finally breaks the silence.

“You don’t look sick. Was this just a way to get out of class?”

Trini sighs, shaking her head. “No.”

“Why am I picking you up then?”

“I don’t know. I’ve had a bad day, I don’t feel good, and I’m not gonna get any work done if I stay.”

Her mom nods slowly for a moment. “You’re going to make up everything you miss.”

“Yeah. I know.”

They aren’t too far from home now, but the silence that fills the car again is _terrible_. If they at least had the radio on it wouldn’t be so bad, but at this point she’s too afraid to that turning music on will launch them into some sort of argument. About what? She has no idea. But she doesn’t doubt that it would happen.

“What are you going to do when we get home?”

“I don’t know. Sleep, probably.”

“Then you don’t feel well enough to need your phone. Hand it over.”

Trini knows that her mom’s way of saying, _“You’re getting out of class, so you have to give something up in return.”_

Giving up her phone isn’t the worst thing. She has a passcode on it, and her messages just show up as _Text Message_ instead of displaying what it actually says, so she shouldn’t have to worry about anything popping up on it to get her into trouble. But she’s still hesitant. “You aren’t going to look through my stuff are you?”

“Why? Do you have something to hide?”

“Just the number of my drug dealer.” Or the fact that she’s a superhero and has a girlfriend.

Her mom glares at her, and it lasts long enough to scare Trini a little. They’re still driving, and the amount of time she has her eyes off the road is slightly worrying.

“Bad joke. Sorry,” she says. “No, I don’t have anything to hide.”

“Good.”

She sends off a message in the group chat that she won’t have her phone before she hands it over.

Things stay as boring as she had expected it would be without her phone. When they get home she _does_ try to sleep--because catching up on that would be nice--but doesn’t have any luck. And it might be boring, but having some time just to herself isn’t the _worst_ thing that could happen. It’s a nice excuse to do _nothing_ for a while.

Oddly enough, the solitude doesn’t even last very long.

She’s pretty sure she’s actually hallucinating when she hears a knock and sees Zack pop up in her doorway. Zack in her house? In her room? Without using the window and having to bypass her mother downstairs? No way.

“‘Sup, Crazy Girl?”

Trini looks around her room--not for anything in particular, but maybe something to explain what’s going on. “Uh… How the hell did you get in here?”

“Your mom let me in,” he says, shrugging.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Your mom,” he says again. “Let me in.”

She has to take a moment to process that. “Why? What did you say to her?”

“I just asked if you were home, if you were okay, and if you could talk.”

“...And she let you in?”

He smiles. “Yeah. Now you’re getting it.”

Actually, the more she thinks about it, the more it makes sense. _Of course_ her mom would let _Zack_ in. He knows how to come off as charming and responsible in certain situations, and _this_ one in particular seemed to convince her mother that he’s _one of the good ones_. Just thinking about that makes her smile and start to laugh a little.

“What’s happening? I wanna laugh too.”

She shakes her head. “No, it really isn’t funny at all.”

Zack finally walks farther into her room, jumping onto the foot of her bed. “Try me.”

“Okay… You and Kim are the only people who have come by my house _the normal way_ and met my mom. When Kim came by, my mom didn’t let her in the house _at all_ , and sat at the door interrogating her for ten minutes when all she was trying to do was drop off schoolwork. Now you’re here, _asking to talk to me_ , and she let you up into my room. It’s not funny. It’s terrible.”

“No. That’s hilarious.” Zack smiles. “You wanna make it even better? She told me you have an _open door_ policy.”

“Oh my god.” She gets it. She really does. But the idea of her _needing_ an open door policy with _Zack_ over?

“I’m glad I didn’t risk using your window this time,” he continues. “And you know, I thought she was a little intense, but with the way you described how she was with Kim? I think your mom must actually like me.”

Trini nods. “Well, yeah. She let you into my room; that’s pretty much her giving you her blessing.”

“Even with the open door?”

“ _Especially_ with the open door. Are you kidding me?”

“You have to admit… Our kids would be adorable.”

She moves to kick him, but he easily dodges.

“Actually, that’s kind of why I’m here.”

To talk about… their figurative children? “What?”

“I’m talking about my love life.”

Oh.

Yeah, she’d much rather talk about that.

“Okay. Lay it on me.”

Zack stares at her, a neutral expression on his face.

“Dude?”

This time he nods. “Okay, I’m gonna tell you exactly what happened.”

She waits for another stretch of silence, and he doesn’t make any move to continue. “Really? ‘Cause it looks like you’re stalling.”

“No, I’m gonna tell you,” he says, and then takes a deep breath. “I was ready to talk to the guys. So I met up with them to get it over with, but they wanted to talk to me about something first, so I told them to go ahead. I wasn’t in any rush. And they beat me to it. They told me they were into me.”

...What?

“And then I said, _‘Cool. Me too,’_ and made up an excuse to leave.”

“You…” Trini trails off, staring at him. “Let me get this straight. _They_ told _you_ that they were both into you. You said, _‘Cool. Me too.’_ And ran away.”

He nods.

“But you don’t run from your problems, Z. That’s my thing.”

“Yeah, that’s why I came to you.”

Well that doesn’t make any sense _at all_ . She’s having a hard time understanding that he _ran_ when they were returning his feelings. Especially since he was preparing to tell them the _same thing_ at the _exact same time_ . Not that she’s an expert, but that doesn’t seem like a _Zack_ type of reaction.

“Oh my god. Zack, you’re an idiot.”

“Yep.”

“Why did you run?” she asks, and he shrugs.

“I wasn’t expecting it. I was prepared for rejection; I had no gameplan for them feeling the same way.”

“Dude…”

“So what do I do?”

The answer seems pretty obvious to her, so she has no idea why he came _here_. “You go find them and talk to them.”

“Okay.” He nods.

“I can’t believe you didn’t think they were into you _at all_.”

Zack crosses his arms. “Now isn’t the time to judge my denial, T. But if we are throwing around judgement… I’ve noticed that _you_ are wearing cartoon cacti on your pajama pants.”

Trini looks down at her pants, then back up at him with a very serious expression on her face. “What of it?”

“Nothing. I think they’re cute,” he says with a smile.

She keeps staring at him, eventually just shaking her head because she’s ready to move on. Zack needs to go after Jason and Billy and figure things out with them, and _leave_ Trini’s room so her mom doesn’t start getting nosy.

They can address her cactus pants later.

 

\---

 

**Rainbow Rangers**

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | it’skimberly! | trini//]**

**lil z:** btw, tommy seemed fine for the rest of today

 **trini//:** figured

 **it’skimberly!:** Even if we’re wrong, it’s better to be prepared

 **trini//:** still

 **trini//:** do you think there might be a way we can do smth abt this? Instead of doing nothing but waiting around?

 **goldenboi:** Maybe. But we don’t really know how this stuff works. If it’s just through the coin, or if it’s in our link and the grid

 **billyc:** We can try to work through all of our options, but the energy might wear off before we figure anything out.

 **lil z:** that’s tru

 **trini//:** alright :/

 

\---

 

Zack’s train is actually a really nice place to sit down and _think_ about things without worrying about interruptions or responsibilities. It’s why Tommy winds up down here--on one of the logs by the fire pit instead of on _top_ of the train--turning her power coin over in her hands. It’s supposed to be her way of _figuring things out_ or _coming to terms_ with everything that’s happened. It isn’t really working.

 _No interruptions_ isn’t true either. Jason finds her there, walking over to their little campfire area to join her.

“Hey. What are you doing out here?”

Tommy shrugs, only looking up once before turning back to her coin. “I don’t know. Trying to figure this out? I guess now that I know she’s… in my head, and I know what she’s done, this is all a lot scarier than it used to be.”

He nods, taking a seat near her. Not  _right_ next to her, but close enough that he isn’t invading personal space _or_ acting like he needs to be as far as possible because she’s _dangerous_ or something. “Yeah… I know it’s gotta be a lot to handle. The ranger thing on its own was hard for all of us, but your coin came with something the rest of us didn’t have to deal with.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Jason pulls his coin out of his pocket, looking over it before he holds it out to Tommy so they can compare both of theirs.

Tommy stares at both of them, eyebrows drawn together. “They don’t look that different. Color thing aside.”

“Were you expecting something else?”

She nods. “Yeah, maybe a white aura around yours to signify that you’re one of the good guys.”

“You aren’t a bad person, Tommy.”

That isn’t something she’s ready to agree with. “Then why did this thing choose me? Y’all are always saying it’s the coin who chooses us. It’s who the coin deems to be worthy. _This_ coin… it said _Rita_ was worthy. So I’m… There’s no reason that I should think I’m any better than her.”

“Maybe. But I don’t think it chooses based on who it knows you’ll become. I think it chooses based on potential. And it’s up to you to prove it right or wrong,” he says. “Rita wasted her chance and became power hungry and cynical and destructive. We’re all capable of taking the wrong path. Here.”

Jason holds his coin out until Tommy opens her other hand, allowing him to place it there.

“You said it yourself,” he says. “They’re the same. You can make the same mistakes she did. But you don’t have to.”

Tommy looks down at the two coins, slowly shaking her head. “That’s one damn good pep talk, Scott.”

“Yeah. I’m kind of known for them.”

“Why does mine look cleaner than yours?”

Jason leans forward to look at the coins too. “Our coins were buried underground in rock for millions of years. Yours was at the bottom of the ocean.”

“Oh.” She starts to rub her thumb over his coin, testing to see if the dirt is actually ingrained in the thing, or if Jason’s just too lazy to grab a rag and wipe it down.

Jason sits back, slowly being overcome with an odd discomfort that he can’t really explain. And then it isn’t just uncomfortable, there’s a sharp pain. “ _Ow_.”

Tommy almost jumps. “What?”

Jason stares at her, a hand on his chest as he tries to figure out what just happened. The pain only lasted for a moment, but the discomfort is still there. He can’t focus very well, but the one thing he _can_ see is his coin still in Tommy’s hand. And that’s the only thing that seems out of place.

“ _Drop my coin._ ”

She lets go of it immediately, the coin falling to the ground as Jason sort of slides out of his seat and down onto his knees. He’s taking deep breaths, so he’s probably fine now, but Tommy’s still freaking out.

“Shit. What did I do?”

 

\---

 

***Long Drawn Out Sigh***

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | toliver | it’skimberly! | trini//]**

**trini//:** is that Jason??

 **it’skimberly!:** What the hell

 **billyc:** What was that?

 **trini//:** do u guys know if he’s ok?

 **lil z:** it feels like he’s calming down

 **lil z:** blue?

 **billyc:** Yeah, it feels like he’s relaxing

 **trini//:** but? What?

 **it’skimberly!:** Where is he?

 **billyc:** I don’t know

 **lil z:** so?? what do we do??

 **trini//:** if he doesn’t respond we should prob go look for him

 **toliver:** I don’t know what happened, but I think it was my fault

 **lil z:** what?

 **toliver:** I don’t know?

 **toliver:** He’s fine, but we’re at the train car

 **it’skimberly!:** Otw

 **trini//:** ^^

 **lil z:** ^

 **billyc:** I’m on my way too

 

\---

 

“What do you mean? You were just holding his coin and he collapsed?” Trini asks, completely unconvinced by the story.

“No,” Tommy says. “I was holding it, he said _‘Ow,’_ and he told me to drop the coin, so I did and he was okay again. Sort of.”

“Something else had to happen for that to hurt him,” Billy says, slightly confused.

Tommy shrugs. “I don’t know what you want me to say. That’s what happened.”

Jason nods. “That _is_ what happened.”

But Billy’s right. It doesn’t make sense that she could be holding the coin, and then it _randomly_ hurts Jason. Nothing triggering it; it just happened. They’re all throwing their ideas out in the open, but it isn’t getting them anywhere. At this point they’re just arguing to argue.

Kimberly has had enough of it, saying loud enough for the others to pay attention to her, “Oh my god. There’s an easier way we can figure this out. _Here_.”

She places her coin in Tommy’s hand, stepping back and crossing her arms to wait. Every one of them stares at the coin.

“Is something happening?” Zack asks, and Kim shakes her head.

“I don’t feel anything.”

“What does that mean…?”

Jason clears his throat. “She wasn’t… _just_ holding it. She was sort of… rubbing it…”

“What?”

“She was trying to clean it.”

Trini finds that hard to believe. She _randomly_ wants to _clean_ Jason’s Power Coin? That _totally_ makes sense. “Why?”

“I don’t know.” Tommy shrugs.

“Do the same thing to mine, then,” Kim says, gesturing to her coin.

“Are you sure?”

She nods.

So Tommy does that, but Kimberly isn’t feeling any different. She gives it a minute before shaking her head. “Nothing’s happening.”

“Are you sure that’s all you were doing?” Billy asks.

“No. I don’t remember what I was doing. My mind blanked as soon as I realized he was hurt,” Tommy says, and she might be starting to freak out. Just a little.

“Alright,” Kim says, holding her hand out. “Give me _your_ coin.”

Once Tommy hands that to her, Kim begins to turn it over in her hands, scratching at it, pressing into it, just random things to get some sort of reaction out of it.

“Fuck. Ow,” Tommy says, taking a step back. “What’d you do?”

Kim looks back and forth at Tommy and the coin, and then she presses down on the middle of the coin again.

“ _Stop_. God, Kim. What the hell?”

“That’s weird…”

Tommy’s trying to catch her breath now. “What is happening?”

“I don’t know. You put pressure on the color part of someone’s coin, and it… hurts. For some reason.”

“You mean for all of us?” Zack asks. “Or just because Tommy has Rita in her coin?”

“Does someone want to volunteer to test it out?” Jason asks.

Kim doesn’t even pause before she switches out her coin with Tommy’s, and then continues to hand hers to Trini. Trini shakes her head.

“What? I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Just do it. I’ll be fine.”

And Trini does.

And nothing happens.

“There’s your answer,” Kim says to Zack, and then all five of them turn to Tommy.

They know that this isn’t technically her fault, but it _is_ something else they need to look out for. If Tommy gets possessed again, she’ll know to go for their coins for an easy way to hurt them.

This just keeps getting more and more complicated.

“Tommy,” Jason says, but Tommy’s turning around and walking away.

“Nope.”

“We’ll figure this out.”

She shakes her head, walking faster, hoping they’ll just let her go. She doesn’t have the energy to listen to them say _things are gonna be fine,_ and _they just need to stick together_ . That might work for them. But she isn’t really a part of the team yet. She won’t be until Rita’s completely gone. Or until she gives them a reason to trust her. But she’s pretty sure she can’t do that _until_ everything else is over with.

She’s better off just leaving right now.

The others watch her leave, but Jason isn’t ready to give up just yet. He was getting somewhere earlier. The coin thing got in the way, but he’s almost positive he was helping her figure this out before that happened. It’s his leader instincts kicking in--he doesn’t want to watch a teammate leave like that, thinking everything is her fault.

He made that mistake with Trini already.

“Should we go after her, or…?” Zack asks, and instead of answering, Jason starts walking after her. Zack nods slowly. “So that’s a yes?”

“Am I the only one that feels like this is about to go terribly?” Trini asks.

Kim shakes her head. “No, I’m right there with you.”

It isn’t hard to catch up to Tommy. She didn’t think they’d follow, so she hadn’t gone any faster than just walking. She regrets that decision as soon as she hears Jason call out for her to stop.

“No.”

“Tommy, come on.”

Tommy stops walking, spinning around to yell, “What’s the fucking point, Jason? Because I don’t get it. Why are you so set on following me and getting me to talk? Why is it so hard for you to let me leave?”

“You’re one of us. You’re a part of the team now, and you don’t have to go through all of this alo--”

“You can tell me I’m _one of you_ as much as you want, but I am _not_ a part of this team. I’m just _not_ .” Tommy shakes her head. “They know it. _You_ know it… I get that you’re trying to say you have my back, and that’s fine. I appreciate it. But right now… I’m just half of a Ranger.”

She pauses, but none of them say anything in the open space. They can tell she isn’t done yet.

“I’ve got some evil alien essence _thing_ in my head taking up the other half of me, and I just… _can’t_ . I can’t do this right now. I _am_ alone in this. You’re all scared of me. _I’m_ scared of myself. There’s nothing you can say to convince me that this is something I don’t have to get through on my own.”

“Tommy, we--” Jason tries to say again, but she only shakes her head.

“You aren’t scared of _me_ , you’re scared of the thing trying to take over my coin? That doesn’t matter. Because not one of you can hand me your coin right now and tell me you’d feel totally safe with it in my hands. It’s too dangerous. And _I_ understand that… I said there’s _nothing_ you can say to convince me. That wasn’t an exaggeration.”

The sad thing is, she isn’t wrong. As much as they want to say they’re on her side, there’s no way they’d be completely comfortable around her until they know Rita’s out of the picture for good.

Tommy sighs, looking at the ground.

“Okay,” Jason says. “We’ll let you go. Sorry.”

She looks back up like she’s ready to say something more, but decides against it and instead runs a hand over her face. “All of this arguing is giving me a headache.”

She keeps her eyes closed for a second, taking a few deep breaths, and the others are letting her take her time. Just in case she wants to add something.

When she opens her eyes, she doesn’t have anything to say, but she does look a little out of it. Similar to what Trini saw happen at lunch.

The blinking. The flash of green in her eyes.

Except this time she isn’t the only one who notices.

Kimberly’s standing close enough that Trini can feel her take a step backwards in surprise. She can hear Zack’s, _“What the hell?”_ and Billy mutter questions about what’s going on and how it’s possible. Jason’s completely still and silent. Just like she is.

When the green disappears for good, Tommy still isn’t looking at them. She’s staring at nothing, not saying anything or moving much at all.

Trini can feel how on edge they all are.

Because right now, they can’t tell if this is _Tommy_ standing in front of them or not.


	17. Having "Chill" is Just Unrealistic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't as long/doesn't have as much going on as I had planned, but that just means most of my original plans are now pushed forward to ch 18. So that one should (maybe?) be more eventful.
> 
> Side note that doesn't actually matter at all: I've been watching some of the tv series, and now I'm low key (high key) obsessed w/ pr megaforce. Like, if you follow me on tumblr you know that it's becoming a problem. Pls help

They all sit in silence, too afraid that moving will cause something to happen. That Tommy isn’t _Tommy_ , and she’ll lash out, or… something worse. Tommy blinks a couple more times, and then she looks up, focussing on _them_ instead of nothing. And then she turns around, walking away just as she had been a few moments go.

“Tommy?” Billy asks. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

The five look at each other, and then Jason calls out, “Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving.”

It might not mean anything. But there’s something that still feels off. Like all of the emotions that Tommy had just been feeling--and showing in her facial expressions and body language--aren’t there anymore. Like a clean slate.

They don’t know if they should try following her again.

“You all saw that right?” Zack asks, pointing off in Tommy’s direction. “Her eyes _glew_ . _Glowed_ ? I don’t know. They were fucking _green_ , guys.”

Trini nods. “Yeah…”

“Do we know if that means anything?” Billy asks. “Trini said she saw it happen before, but Tommy’s seemed fine until now.”

“It could be a side effect of the coin still having a hold over her. Maybe it’s… trying to activate, but it can’t.” Jason shrugs.

“Maybe the energy is dying out?” Zack offers, trying to remain hopeful.

Kim shakes her head. “Maybe we’re wrong and she’s adapted to not standing out while she’s… not herself.”

“Freaky…” Zack says. “So we don’t follow her?”

Jason sighs, crossing his arms. “If we’re wrong, we’re being nosy and intrusive. But if we’re right, we’re being cautious and careful. I think it’d be best if we took that risk.”

“Maybe we can walk around town and make sure she went home, and isn’t going back the the Krispy Kreme. The _under construction_ Krispy Kreme,” Billy adds. “She can’t do much damage if she’s at home.”

“I dunno,” Zack says. “Even if she went home, I don’t doubt that Rita would hurt her family without thinking twice about it. But, I do think you’re right. Who’s up first?”

 

\---

 

They all agreed that it would be safest to go out in pairs. And then, somehow, ended up at the decision that Kimberly and Zack would be together, and they’d go out first. Kim still thinks their reasoning for the match up is a little ridiculous.

“I can’t believe you’re splitting me and Trini up because you don’t want us to get _distracted_ ,” she says, shaking her head.

“Um, excuse me. You told us that none of the boys could be paired up for the same reason.”

“Yeah, that’s your own fault. We wouldn’t have said that if you hadn’t _specifically_ split us up.”

Zack rolls his eyes. “Admit it. You love being out here with me.”

Kimberly looks at him, pausing for a moment, and then looks forward as they continue walking.

“You love to hurt me, don’t you?”

She smiles. “It’s all in good fun, Taylor.”

“Tommy calls me Taylor,” he says.

“Tommy calls everyone by their last name.”

“Are you girls plotting against me?”

Kim almost stops walking, the subject change catches her so off guard. But she settles for giving him a questioning look instead.

“I filled her locker with doughnuts. I know she isn’t just _letting_ that happen.”

“I'm not telling you anything. These lips are sealed.”

Zack shakes his head at her. “Sure. For everyone except T.”

That was definitely supposed to be suggestive, but she isn’t in the mood to play along. She can agree, but that’s it. “Mhmm.”

“Hey, tell me about that. What’s going on with you two? Trini’s stubborn and secretive and won’t tell me _anything_.”

“What makes you think _I’ll_ tell you anything?”

Zack gives her a look, and she sighs.

“Okay, fine. What do you mean? Tell you about what?”

“Just… the _deets_ , Hart. You know what I mean.”

Honestly, she really doesn’t. “I don’t know. We’re… _semi-official_ now.”

“What does that mean?”

“Sort of out. Sort of not.”

Zack stares at her, tilting his head a bit. “What?”

“We’re out to you guys and Tommy, and Trini’s brothers, and now we’re prepared to be out at school, too. Like Jason and Billy. And you now too, I guess?” she says. “If people ask or assume, then we’ll tell them.”

“Okay, I getcha. That’s chill.” Zack nods. “Trini’s cool with that?”

Kim rolls her eyes and smiles. “Yes, Zack. We had a long conversation about it the other night. She’s cool with it.”

“Cool.” He assumed there would've been a conversation, but he's still gotta look out for his tiny best friend. Double checking that things are going well is a part of his _best friend_ duties. “But T’s parents…?”

Kim takes a breath before shaking her head. “I think it’s too soon. She doesn’t say much about her dad, but her mom’s still trying to get used to the idea of her being gay. It’d be different if she found out she was dating someone.”

Zack’s quiet for a moment, and when Kim looks to the side to check on him, she sees that he’s smiling. “From what I’ve heard Momma Gomez isn’t your number one fan…”

“Oh my god, I met her _once_. And that wasn’t even a real meeting. That was right after Trini came out to them; things were already tense.”

“So you need to meet her again. Properly,” he says, still smiling.

“I want to say yes, but I don’t like that look in your eye.”

Zack shrugs. “If you ask me, I think her mom needs to meet all of us. She already likes me; seeing that T has friends who really care about her might get her mom to mellow out a bit.”

“Yeah… She told me that if she was still in the closet, you’d be the perfect beard around her family. But meeting the rest of us? I don’t know.”

“It could help.”

Something tells her that _Trini_ wouldn’t see it that way. “It sounds like something she’d hate.”

“Okay, you got me there.” He nods. “Although… I _was_ invited over for dinner ‘sometime soon,’ so maybe I can do everything myself. Lay some groundwork…”

“Oh my god. Zack. No.”

Zack clears his throat, adopting what he likes to call a _sophisticated accent_ . “‘Yes, Mrs. Gomez. Actually, myself and my two boyfriends are very fond of your daughter. She’s a wonderful friend. Very supportive, and kind, and the whole package, really. The girl who wins her heart--’ Or the _Hart_ she wins.” He nudges Kim, winking at her. “‘Will be so very lucky. Oh, Dante, could you please pass the bread? Thank you.’”

Kimberly’s shaking her head, attempting to keep her laughter toned down, but slightly failing.

“It’d be effective, I think.”

“Trini would _literally_ hate you if you did that.”

“It’s a risk I’m willing to take, Kim,” he says. And because Kim still hasn’t stopped laughing, he can’t stop smiling either. “I’m really glad you appreciate my humor.”

“Yeah,” she says, actually calming down now. “Don’t get used to it.”

“Alright. So what about you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your parents.”

“Oh.” Kim pauses, thinking that over. “I want to tell them.”

Zack waits for her to continue. She doesn’t. “But…?”

“ _But_ , I’m kind of scared to.”

“You don’t have to be Kimberly _‘Badass’_ Hart all the time,” he says. “It’s normal to be scared about stuff like that.”

“But is it? I’m already out to them. Telling them I have a girlfriend shouldn’t be that hard. It should be… I don’t know. Casually thrown out there.”

“Like during dinner?” He asks, but she just glares at him. “Sorry. Continue.”

“For Trini it makes sense that she wants to keep it from her parents. I don’t have any reason to.”

Zack genuinely attempts to think up a way to help her out. It looks like this is actually bothering her, so the jokes can come later. “Well… So you’ve never had a girlfriend before?”

“Not officially.” She can sense the questions _that’s_ going to prompt, so she quickly adds, “That’s a story for another time. Keep talking.”

“Okay, so…” He stops walking, waiting for Kim to stop too so they can talk face to face. “Maybe you’re still thinking that they don’t _believe_ the bi thing. Telling them about Trini makes it real. It’s like coming out all over again.”

That’s… definitely possible. “Maybe… How did your mom take it? When you came out to her?”

Zack hesitates a bit, but then smiles. “Amazingly well. She told me to be proud of who I am, but be careful of who I share that part of myself with. You know… Not to hide, but be safe.”

“Wow. Your mom is… the best.”

He nods. “She is.”

They fall into a lapse of silence after that, silently hoping that they  _will_ find something. If they don't, then they'll only be worrying about it all night. But it doesn't look like there's anything noteworthy going on.

“I don’t think we’re going to find anything out here,” Kim says, looking around at their eerily quiet surroundings.

“Same.” Zack nods. “I’m thinking she just went home. Actually… I just realized we don’t know where her home _is_.”

“We haven’t known her that long.”

That’s true, but it also wasn’t his point. “Yeah, but we can’t _be sure_ and _find her_ if we don’t know where she is.”

“I think it’s fine as long as she isn’t out _here_.”

He wants to keep pushing the conversation. Emphasize that it’s _the mystery_ that counts. But he gets that it’s been a long day, and Kim is _obviously_ tired and ready to go home. “I feel like we’re in a horror movie.”

Kim’s pretty sure their _lives_ might qualify as a horror movie.

“If _we_ were in a horror movie, which of us do you think would die first?”

“Jason.”

He’s slightly caught off guard by her quick reply. “I meant between us two, but you’re right. T and B are both way too smart; they’d make it _at least_ halfway through, if not to the end. And Jason’s, like, stupidly brave and self-sacrificing.”

“Out of us?” Kim asks. “We’re both pretty reckless. But I think I’m more impulsive than you. And it’s _dumb_ impulsive, so probably me.”

Okay, but he _did_ steal his zord for a joyride and almost run over a van of nuns that one time. _That_ was pretty stupidly impulsive.

Zack thinks they’re even on the scale of impulsivity. But if he gets to survive longer in their hypothetical horror movie? He’ll take it.

“I expected you to take longer to admit that… Anyway, you’re right. It’s time to tag in the next duo.”

“Who is it? Trini and?”

“My boy, Billy.”

“They’ll make way more progress than we ever could.” It isn't that she thinks Jason  _wouldn't_ make any progress; but... if it's between Jason and Billy and which one of them would do better in this situation, she's  _gotta_ give it to Billy.

Zack completely agrees with her. “The sad truth.”

 

\---

 

***Long Drawn Out Sigh***

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | toliver | it’skimberly! | trini//]**

**lil z:** hey tommy, r u good?

 **lil z:** just wanna check in

 **toliver:** Yeah, I’m alright. Thanks.

 **lil z:** ok cool

 **goldenboi:** Will you be at school tomorrow, or do you need a day off?

 **toliver:** Don’t know yet.

 **goldenboi:** Ok, then I guess we might see you tomorrow/might not

 **toliver:** Yeah

 **lil z:** hey we're still here 4 u

 **lil z:** if u need us

 **lil z:** btw

 **toliver:** Right. Thanks.

 

\---

 

**Rainbow Rangers**

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | it’skimberly! | trini//]**

**lil z:** i'm kinda worried abt tommy

 **it'skimberly!:** I think we all are

 **lil z:** i mean, the way she was responding in the other chat?

 **lil z:** she's usually more upbeat

 **lil z:** even if she isn't in a good mood

 **goldenboi:** She's scared of hurting people, and not having control over her own body. She told me it's getting worse now that she's aware of everything going on.

 **it'skimberly!:** She feels like she's completely alone. That isn't an easy thing to shoulder.

 **lil z:** then what do we do??

 **goldenboi:** I think we're doing everything we can. Keeping an eye on her, but also telling her we're here for her.

 **billyc:** If she doesn't go to school and Rita takes over again, what would we do? We wouldn't know anything was wrong, would we?

 **lil z:** unless she's getting more connected in the link and we can feel smth change

 **lil z:** ?

 **goldenboi:** I don't know

 **it'skimberly!:** More uncertain hoping

 **lil z:** luck has been on our side recently

 **lil z:** so that doesn't seem too unlikely

 **trini//:** we need to get our lives together

 **it'skimberly!:** Ok, understatement of the year

 **lil z:** [ _stitch crying in the rain.gif_ ]

 **billyc:** I agree with Zack

 

\---

 

It’s too real to be a nightmare.

Her nightmares have made her feel like she was dying plenty of times before, but _this_ … This is different.

This is real.

And it isn’t coming from _her_.

It’s Kim.

Trini doesn’t have the focus to really comprehend what’s going on. The only thing she knows for sure is that, for some reason, Kimberly is in some _intense_ pain right now, and she has no idea why.

It's been a few days since they saw Tommy's eyes flashing green, but everything ended up being fine that night. Something had to have changed. Probably with Tommy. Something  _bad_.

Somehow she finds enough strength to get up and out of her window, and maybe half stumbles off of her roof. She’s pretty sure that it wouldn’t hurt with her ranger strength anyway, but with this… whatever the hell this pain is, she doesn’t think she’d _notice_ any other sort of discomfort. She puts all of her available focus on getting to Kim’s house.

She isn’t there. Getting to her house was Trini’s entire plan; now she has _no idea_ where she’s supposed to go.

But thankfully the pain lessens a bit, and she can make the decision to check around their campfire area. It’s a good sign that she can feel Kim trying to relax, right? At least she doesn’t seem to be in danger anymore.

There _is_ still this lingering feeling of being _on edge_.

Should she look down in the ship? Get in contact with the guys? If Kim’s already down underground, though, then Alpha should be able to help her… It might be better for her to stay up here.

Unfortunately she didn’t manage to grab her phone before leaving, but she _does_ think finding the boys is the best plan of action. So she runs to Billy’s. All three of them are there, but no sign of Kim or Tommy.

That doesn’t seem like a good sign.

Billy’s pacing, and Zack’s staring at his phone like Kim or Tommy are going to call at any second. Jason’s sitting down, trying to keep calm.

“You don’t know where she is?” Zack asks. “She isn’t answering her phone.”

“No. I checked her house, and the cliffs, and…” Trini shakes her head.

Jason gives them a determined look. “Then we’ll spread out. I’ll go down to the ship, and you three split up around town. We’ll cover more ground that way.”

“Right. Because splitting up is always the best idea,” Zack says, rolling his eyes. “Kim was right. You really would be the first to die in a horror movie.”

The other three stare at him.

He clears his throat and nods. “Not the time. Sorry.”

“Alright. Let’s go,” Trini says, and in an attempt to leave ends up stumbling a bit. She hasn’t fully recovered yet.

“Are you sure you should leave, Trini?” Billy asks. “Maybe you should stay here.”

She shakes her head. “Hell no.”

“Trini,” Zack tries to say, but she doesn’t let him finish.

“ _No_.”

They don’t try to stop her anymore after that.

When they leave, Trini goes straight for the under construction Krispy Kreme. If this has anything to do with Rita… Tommy-Rita? If it has to do with that, it makes sense that they might be somewhere near the crystal. That’s what she’s hoping for, because if they aren’t there, she has no idea where else to look.

About halfway there the pain hits her again, but she keeps moving. Not easily, but by this point she knows how to push past it.

She doesn’t find them _at_ the Krispy Kreme. But it’s close. Both Kim and Tommy standing right in front of each other; Kim has her hands on Tommy’s shoulders, and she’s saying something, but it’s low enough that Trini can’t hear it.

She came here to figure out what was going on and provide some sort of backup. But now she’s afraid that stepping in might disrupt any progress Kim’s making. It _seems_ like she’s trying to talk Tommy down.

Kim’s coin is in Tommy’s hands, so that solves the mystery of where the pain was coming from. What’s sort of surprising is how Kim isn’t trying to get her coin back. She’s still focusing on helping Tommy.

Whatever she’s been saying must have worked, because something changes in Tommy’s expression. She looks down at her hands, sees the coin, and then immediately drops it. Shortly after, Kim and Tommy both fall to their knees out of relief.

Kim because her coin isn’t slowly getting crushed anymore, and Tommy because she just broke herself out of a possession and is realizing that she was _this close_ to severely injuring her friend--or worse. Trini stays back, calming down on her own, and lets them have their moment. She wasn’t here for most of it, but whatever went down… it had to be _a lot_.

Everything catches up to Tommy in that moment. She hasn’t cried over any of this yet, but right now she doesn’t feel so strong anymore and she’s _drained_ and weak and can’t do anything to stop the tears from falling.

She almost freezes in shock when Kim pulls her into a hug. Tommy almost just killed her. Even if she was possessed, she doesn't get why Kim would take the chance of getting so close to her again. Even Trini’s a little surprised, but, overall, she gets it. It isn’t Tommy’s fault. She doesn’t have anyone outside the five of them, and now that they’re _obviously_ scared of her, she probably doesn’t feel like she has _anyone_.

It’s risky, but Tommy needs it.

In the time that they take to calm down, Trini realizes that they need to fill the boys in on what's going on. And she still doesn't have her phone. Eventually, when she checks in with the other two, she finds out that neither of them have theirs either.

But it's late and they're all tired. Physically. Emotionally. In every sense of the word, really. So, with a promise to explain everything that went down later and a plan to get in contact with the guys, they head back to their own homes.

 

\---

 

Trini reluctantly makes her way back to her house. She knows she left in a bit of a hurry and probably made a mess of her room on her way out, but the thought of getting some sleep--after a night this exhausting--is strong enough to get her moving.

She gets up on the roof and through the window, halfway on her desk when she realizes something is off. She looks to the side to see her parents--both of them, wide awake--sitting on her bed, staring at her.

Now that she thinks about it, she _knows_ she didn’t turn her light on before leaving, and it was on when she climbed up. She also _definitely_ should’ve seen her parents there before she opened the window. But she’s half asleep. There probably could’ve been a zord parked in the driveway and she wouldn’t have noticed.

But… This isn’t good. There’s no way she can get herself out of this one.

They stare at each other in silence for a good few minutes. It's long enough that Trini wonders if she can get away with leaving again, and suffering the consequences later. So she slowly starts to back out of the window again.

It doesn't work. Her father gives her another  _look_ and says, " _Trini,_ " and she stops and gets back in the room. Completely this time. Not just hovering over her desk.

Apparently they heard her leaving, since she basically fell out of her window, and then her phone was going off, vibrating against her desk enough that it sent some faint buzzing through to the hardwood floors. They could hear that too. They got up to make sure there wasn't someone breaking into the house, and then realized that it was most likely just Trini sneaking out. Although, they were worried to find that she left her phone behind.

"Where did you go?" Her mom asks. "What were you doing?"

Her father adds on before she can answer. "Did you sneak out to be with your friends? Go to a party?"

"To see a girl?"

She never thought she'd hear that coming from her mother. Her tone wasn't even... It wasn't the worst. Wow.

The big thing, though, is that she doesn't know if she can get away with explaining that this was a life or death situation. The only thing she  _didn't_ leave for is a party. She  _did_ sneak out to be with her friends, and she  _did_ sneak out to see a girl. Just not in the context they're thinking of.

"Why are you still in pajamas?"

"Why do you look like you were just in some sort of fight?" Her mom asks. "Were you in a fight? Are you in a _midnight pajama street gang_?"

She at least has enough energy to say  _no_ to that. "I was..."

The simplest thing would be to say a friend was in an accident. But then her parents would want to know which friend, and if they're okay, and  _she should've woken them up and they could've taken her to the hospital if that's what's going on_. She wouldn't be surprised if they offered to take her to the hospital  _now_ , so they can  _talk to her friend's parents_ , and blah blah blah.

She could say her friend's mom is sick, but she isn't going to drag Zack or his mom into this. She can handle a punishment instead of using  _that_ as an excuse.

Also, since she left her phone, there isn't a lot she can say that _won't_ sound off to them.

"Uh... I was with my friends...?"

Her father gestures at her clothes with a questioning look.

"It was a pajama party," she says. "Billy wanted a movie night..."

They don't look too convinced.

Her mother crosses her arms. "Billy who?"

"Cranston."

"Who else was there?" After listing everyone, her mother's still suspicious. "We haven't heard you mention a  _Tommy_ before."

"She's new."

There's a look that flashes across her mother's face, and she can't tell if it's because she wants to comment on the name, or if she's thinking about how that's _another_ girl in Trini's friend group. A friend that potentially might be  _more_ than a friend. Instead of commenting on that, she says, "If we call Billy's parents, will they be able to confirm?"

Yikes. Well. She hadn't thought about  _parental verification_. "Uh... yes. And it's just his mom."

"Why would you sneak out instead of asking us if you can go? If it's just a movie night?" her father asks.

She hadn't thought about that either. "Because... I knew mom wouldn't let me go to someone's house if she hasn't met them, and I... Didn't want to ask Billy to do to that."

It's a very flimsy argument, but it seems like her parents are buying it. Because her relationship with her mother is odd, and it makes sense that she'd be embarrassed to bring friends over, even if it  _is_ just to meet them. The two friends that have stopped by before did so on their own without Trini having any idea about it. It sort of, a little bit, kind of makes sense.

She honestly can't believe any of that worked, even if she still has to sit through a bit of a lecture now.

They ground her for a week and say they'll put a lock on her window. [Also, her mom asks to smell her breath to make sure she hasn't been drinking.] And they say that if they catch her sneaking out again--or getting into trouble--they won't hesitate to take away  _all_ of her privileges.

It could be worse. Way worse. She has to keep telling herself that.

 

\---

 

***Long Drawn Out Sigh***

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | toliver | it’skimberly! | trini//]**

**trini//:** hey, so I got grounded last night and I've got a lock on my window now. How was the rest of all of your nights?

 **lil z:** yikes t

 **lil z:** how'd they finally catch u

 **trini//:** I didn't exactly leave very gracefully

 **trini//:** I felt like I was dying, so I kind of fell off the roof

 **lil z:** wow

 **lil z:** "falling off of roofs"

 **lil z:**  "just trini things"

 **toliver:** What kind of lock are they using?

 **trini//:** not sure. Why?

 **toliver:** I know how to pick a lock

 **trini//:**  really?

 **lil z:** dope

 **toliver:** I just think that since it's sort of my fault all of that happened, I can help you out? Picking the lock would be safer than breaking it, I'd think

 **trini//:** ya, for sure

 **lil z:** wait, is it roofs or rooves

 **trini//:** do we always have to have these conversations where someone realizes something (that doesn't actually matter) has been a big lie their whole lives?

 **lil z:** yes

 **toliver:**  Pretty sure it's roofs

 **lil z:** i feel like i've heard someone say rooves before tho

 **lil z:** like i've got a distinct sound of the v in my mind rn

 **trini//:** u could always google it

 **lil z:** tru

 **lil z:** ok so tommy's right

 **toliver:** Of course I am

 **lil z:** but ppl did say rooves back in the day

 **trini//:** this is riveting stuff

 **trini//:** so interesting

 **lil z:** no need to be sarcastic t

 **billyc:** I think it's interesting, Zack

 **lil z:** thank you

 **lil z:** i have the billy stamp of approval, so t and all the other haters can go home

 **trini//:** I am home

 **trini//:** I'm grounded, remember?

 **lil z:** w/e i don't need ur negativity in my life

 **trini//:** ok bye

 

 **trini//** left  ***Long Drawn Out Sigh***

 

 **lil z:** srsly

 **lil z:** again

 **lil z:** bruh

 **it'skimberly!:**  And she tries to argue that she isn't extra

 **toliver:**  Throwback to "dramatic ass ho"

 **billyc:** Do you want me to add her back in?

 **lil z:**  yes pls

 

 **billyc** added  **trini//** to  ***Long Drawn Out Sigh***

 

 

 **trini//:** thanks

 **lil z:** i'm sorry, but

 **lil z:** trini

 **lil z:** WHERE is your chill?

 **trini//:**  idk, but if you find it let me know

 **it'skimberly!:** Relatable

 **lil z:** ...

 **lil z:** ok

 **lil z:** what's the plan now? t's grounded, is that gonna be a problem?

 **it'skimberly!:** Probably

 **trini//:** even if I get the lock picked, sneaking out is gonna have to be timed really specifically

 **trini//:** esp when it's still during the day

 **trini//:** they want me home straight after school, and I doubt they'll just let me lock myself up in my room until dinner

 **lil z:** tru tru

 **goldenboi:** We also have everything else we've been trying to focus on

 **billyc:** We always have so much going on, and lately we rarely get any breaks

 **lil z:** sad face

 **trini//:** did you just

 **trini//:** did you just type out "sad face" instead of sending an emoji or a reaction gif?

 **lil z:** it more accurately represents my emotions rn

 **toliver:** So what I'm gathering is, "Everything is a mess, you don't know what to do, and that's a regular occurrence in your lives"

 **toliver:** ?

 **lil z:** ya, p much

 **toliver:** Okay, cool. So it isn't just me.

 **lil z:** nope, we're all screwed up

 **toliver:** Nice.


	18. How Many Different Ways Can This Go Wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm sorry this took so long. I hate making excuses for things, but I hurt my (dominant) hand recently, so writing/typing/drawing (pretty much 85% of what I do with my time) has been sort of difficult  
> And that's kind of why this chapter is pretty short. It was going to be longer, but since I can't easily write rn, I'd rather go ahead and give y'all something short instead of not at all  
> Also, if you're reading this, thanks for sticking with this story for so long!!!

**Double T**

**[toliver | trini//]**

**trini//:** so Tommy

 **trini//:** what was the plan as far as picking my lock?

 **toliver:** Whatcha mean?

 **trini//:** my parents locked it from the outside

 **trini//:** so I guess u can climb up to unlock it urself, but how the hell do I lock it back when I get in the house?

 **toliver:** Ah. Right.

 **toliver:** Idk, you’ll just have to have a lock buddy.

 **trini//:** ok then

 **trini//:** so my lock buddy needs to know how to pick it. Every time

 **toliver:** Yep

 **trini//:** you’re the only one who knows how

 **trini//:** at least, I’m pretty sure

 **toliver:** Oh, right. Well it isn’t that hard. I can teach the others. Or I’ll just always be ur buddy.

 **toliver:** But it’s probably best that I teach someone else

 **toliver:** Like, Kim at least

 **trini//:** ya probably

 **trini//:** thanks

 **toliver:** No problem

 **toliver:** *finger guns*

 

\---

 

The downside of this new _lock_ situation means that--even though she has a way to get rid of it--Trini still has to sit up in solitude for a couple of days to watch for patterns. How many times her parents “check on her,” what time it is when that happens, how many excuses they'll make up to be upstairs by her room. It's been two days without any progress. But that's the problem. As soon as she notices a routine, it'll have been a week, and she won't be grounded anymore. Then all she'll need to worry about is at night, because even though she'll be allowed out of the house again, that lock isn't going anywhere.

Thankfully Tommy _does_ help Kim out with getting into Trini’s room, but they have to wait until it’s late enough that the rest of the house has gone to sleep. Kimberly still needs to relay what went down the other night, and if they don’t _have_ to talk about it over the phone, they’re gonna do it in person. But it has to be _a little_ private, and Trini isn’t dumb enough to risk sneaking out _again_ so soon. Her room will work well enough for the conversation.

“So, what happened?” Trini asks. “Tommy pulled a Jekyll and Hyde, you tried to help, she went for your coin, and then I saw the rest?”

“Well… Yeah. Kind of.” Kim shrugs, pausing for a moment. “I was already awake when I felt… I don’t know how to describe it, but something in the link changed. I knew it wasn’t from any of you, so I tried looking for Tommy and--after a while--I ran into her in the middle of town on the way to Krispy Kreme.”

So, basically what she figured had happened.

“It wasn’t really her. And it wasn’t exactly Rita, either. She was… like a zombie? Like, she responded when I tried talking to her, but everything was rigid and fake. No change in facial expression, no feelings, it was like she wasn’t even there. I got too close trying to talk to her, she got my coin off of me, and I wasn’t prepared for it. She took off.”

So that explains why the pain was so staggered out. But if she got away _with_ Kim’s coin for so long… she’s probably lucky it didn’t get worse.

“She was letting up instead of just crushing it completely, so I thought that might mean she didn’t care about _me_. All she wanted was the crystal. When I caught up to her, I put myself in her path to slow her down, and it worked. She started messing with my coin to get me to move, but at that point it seemed like I could get through to her.”

“And then I showed up?” Trini asks, raising her eyebrows.

“And then you showed up.” Kim nods. “You saw the rest.”

She was hoping for a slightly more detailed account than that, but, to be fair, if Kim was in so much pain, she might not have retained too many specifics. “What did you say to her?”

“What snapped her out of it?” Kim asks, and then she shrugs. “I was telling her that I knew she could still hear me, that she was stronger than whatever hold Rita had over her. That we all believed in her. Stuff like that.”

“And it worked… I think she needed that. I mean… She needed to know that she isn’t as alone as she thinks she is.”

Kimberly isn’t too quick to agree with her, but eventually she does end up nodding. “I still feel a block in the link. There’s still something going on with her coin, so this isn’t over yet.”

“At least we know there’s a way to snap her out of it.”

“Yeah. _At least_.”

She was trying to make a point about this not being hopeless, but she can’t blame Kim for feeling otherwise. They know they can stall and buy some time, but it was hard enough for her to do _that_. There’s no telling what else might happen, or even if they’ll even be strong enough to handle it.

They should probably call it a night and talk about something less stressful. Or _do_ something less stressful. Like sleep.

Then again, this _definitely_ isn’t the time to risk another sleepover.

 

\--- 

 

Her mom wants to meet Billy.

Realistically, it shouldn't be too terrible. But, even though everything went great with Zack, Trini still doesn't want to chance how the meeting will go. Any number of things could go wrong; and most of them wouldn't even be Billy's fault. She just knows her mother likes to _push_ things. She wants to have answers, whether or not she's going to like them. Because once she knows something isn't “right,” she'll do everything she can to fix it.

_“Invite him over for dinner.”_

There's really no way for her to get out of this. She got lucky with using him as an excuse-slash-alibi, so she shouldn't have expected her mom to drop it right then and never pick it back up.

But there's no harm in trying, right?

“Is that really the best idea…?”

For her? No. For her mother? Yes.

Her mother nods. “Why wouldn't it be?”

Trini sighs. She didn't think her argument out this far.

“Okay. How about you invite _all_ of your friends over?”

Wait. Where the hell did that come from? “Uh… What?”

“Why not? If you’re so against any of them meeting me, or exposing them to your _horrible family_ , then you might as well do it all at once to get it over with.”

Well, when she puts it that way it does make _some_ sense. She still doesn’t want it to happen, but ripping the band-aid off has a little bit of an appeal. “I can’t tell if you’re being serious.”

Instead of responding, or confirming that the idea was genuine, she stays silent. Clearly waiting for Trini to come to the conclusion on her own.

“You want all _five_ of them over here?” For dinner? Assuming that includes her brothers and both of her parents, that’d be ten people having--or attempting to have--a meal together. Without anything going wrong. That sounds like an absolute disaster.

Her mother shakes her head. “It’s up to you, Trini. I would like to meet each of them at some point, and I would like to meet _Billy_ sooner rather than later. If he’s the reason you were sneaking out--movie night, or not--then I don’t think that’s too much to ask for. Think about it.”

_Think about it._

That's gotta be the biggest backfire she's ever experienced.

This is going to happen whether she likes it or not--and she very much so  _doesn't_ like it. But maybe if she plans it out well enough, they can get through this with minimal trouble. First off, there's no way in hell all of them are coming over at the same time. It's too many people, too much potential chaos, and she'd have a very little amount of control of what happens. It's too risky.

But deciding how to divide it isn't easy either.

Billy has to come over first. Jason should probably come with him, because when they're together they're nice and charming and she wouldn't worry  _too_ much about one of them saying something wrong. She's a little worried Billy might accidentally slip up and mention her and Kim, but she has to risk that in every scenario. They have to come over first.

But by having Zack, Kimberly,  _and_ Tommy taking up that second spot, she's putting three wild cards together. Her mom likes Zack, though, so he could even things out. He can change the subject if her mom starts interrogating Kim and Tommy. Because there's too many ways this could go wrong if her mom is alone with the two of them.

Maybe it'd be safer to have Tommy come over with Billy and Jason?

It might be, but if she factors in how things have been going recently, she knows that Tommy is closer with Zack and Kim.

And, yeah, she could invite them over one by one, but... that doesn't sound good either.

God, this is complicated.

 

\---

 

***Long Drawn Out Sigh***

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | toliver | it’skimberly! | trini//]**

**trini//:** how much do all of you love me?

 **lil z:** somehow this feels like a trap...

 **it'skimberly!:** It definitely is a trap.

 **lil z:** i'd ask if someone stole her phone, but i don't have it. and kim doesn't have it. tommy would be the only other possible option

 **toliver:** I don't have her phone

 **trini//:** how is this a trap?

 **it'skimberly!:** People don't ask that unless they want something. And it's extra suspicious bc you hate talking about feelings.

 **lil z:** you want smth from ALL of us? this has to be big

 **lil z:** u have my attention

 **lil z:** what's this about

 **trini//:** I don't /hate/ talking about feelings. You're exaggerating

 **it'skimberly!:** Bullshit

 **it'skimberly!:** The last time we had a big bonding session and we were all saying how much we loved e/o, you didn't say ANYTHING

 **it'skimberly!:** Not until you noticed we were waiting for you, and then you just looked at the ground and said "ok, yeah, sure, I love you guys or whatever"

 **trini//:**  ...that's hardly proof

 **it'skimberly!:** Oh my god

 **goldenboi:** What is going on??

 **trini//:** ok fine

 **trini//:** my mom wants to meet all of u and have u over for dinner

 **trini//:** i know it's a lot

 **trini//:** u don't have to do it

 **trini//:** actually she kind of said Billy did have to come over

 **trini//:** but, it's still optional

 **lil z:** hold up

 **lil z:** ALL of us?

 **lil z:** one by one or all at once???

 **trini//:** she said it was up to me to decide, but I think it'd be best to split u up into two groups

 **it'skimberly!:** Your brothers will be there too?

 **trini//:** yeah

 **goldenboi:** Did you have an idea of how you'd split us up?

 **trini//:** Billy and Jason first and then Zack, Kim, and Tommy

 **toliver:** Whoa, hold the fuck up

 **toliver:** I'M included in this????

 **trini//:** ya sorry

 **lil z:** now u rlly are a part of the team

 **toliver:** What does this mean? Is your mom strict or smth?

 **trini//:** lately i'm not sure how to describe her

 **trini//:** she's trying? But that doesn't mean this won't go terribly

 **trini//:** one plus side is we already know she likes Zack for some reason

 **lil z:** it's bc i'm charming

 **billyc:** When is the dinner happening? Is it at your house?

 **billyc:** I think I can go. As long as I have enough information beforehand.

 **trini//:** the date isn't set, but yeah, it's at my house

 **goldenboi:**  I'll go too. So if it's just Billy and me, are we supposed to NOT mention our relationship?

 **trini//:** no i'm going to tell her that you're together. That seems safer than accidentally letting it slip halfway through dinner just in case she says something offensive or embarassing

 **goldenboi:** What about Zack?

 **trini//:** I'll tell her all three of u are together and just hope it goes well

 **goldenboi:** But DON'T mention you and Kim

 **trini//:** exactly

 **trini//:** I want to see how the second dinner goes before I consider telling her abt us. Assuming you go, Kim

 **it'skimberly:** No, I'll go

 **lil z:** me too!

 **lil z:** can't disappoint ur mom

 **lil z:** i'm sure she'll be thrilled to have me over again

 **trini//:** that sounds sarcastic, but I know you're being totally serious

 **toliver:** Ok, but do I have anything to worry about? Is your mom going to be questioning us?

 **trini//:** probably

 **toliver:** About what exactly?

 **trini//:** idk yet

 **trini//:** you don't have to go, Tommy

 **toliver:** If I don't go I'll feel left out

 **toliver:** And if I'm with Z and K, then the spotlight is mostly gonna be off of me, right?

 **trini//:** as far as I know

 **lil z:**  so does this answer ur question abt how much we love u

 **trini//:** yes

 **trini//:** we should probably go over a few more things before any of this actually happens, but

 **trini//:** thanks for

 **trini//:** u know. Everything

 **it'skimberly!:** "I don't /hate/ talking about feelings" -Trini, like, 20 minutes ago

 **trini//:** shut up

 

**\---**

 

**Operation: Zack Taylor is a Jerk**

****[toliver | it’skimberly! | trini//]** **

**toliver:** Hey, so I have a plan

 **toliver:** It isn't as wild as filling a locker w/ doughnuts, but it'll have to do

 **it'skimberly!:** What is it?

 **toliver:** Just meet me at the cliffs tomorrow after school and I'll explain

 **trini//:** ominous

 **trini//:** if it isn't that wild, then why do we need to wait

 **toliver:** If I just tell u right now then it isn't any fun :/

 **it'skimberly!:** We'll be there

 **toliver:**  Cool

 **toliver:** Seeya then

 **trini//:** ok, but aren't the guys going to be there at the same time too?

 **toliver:** No they have a doughnut date

 **it'skimberly!:**  Aw, cute

 **toliver:** But they're still coming down to the ship afterwards, so it'll work

 **toliver:** Trust me

 **trini//:** ok

 **trini//:**  but if this somehow goes badly, then I was never apart of it

 **toliver:** Noted.


	19. It's Not Easy Being Green

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's been a while since I last updated, BUT I promise I'm not abandoning this.  
> I have a rough outline of how the rest of the story will play out, but I don't know the exact number of chapters that are left. I guess it's nearing the end? Probably?
> 
> I don't know anything for sure. Thanks to all of you who are still keeping up with this, though.

“There really only needs to be one of us doing this,” Trini says, assuming the other two can hear her. She can't _see_ them, but she's pretty sure they're definitely there.

“I know,” Tommy says. “But Zack has _two_ people helping him, and if y’all aren't here, I'll be alone.”

Well, when she puts it like that, Trini almost feels bad about questioning things.

“Also, I don't think I should be allowed down here on my own,” she adds, this time a bit quieter.

“That's a good point.” Kim’s voice is coming from the other side of the hall. “And you aren't even hiding, T. Lookout is an important job, so you being here is _totally_ necessary.”

“Lookout is the job you give someone when they aren't skilled enough for anything else,” Trini mumbles.

“Didn't… Didn’t you _ask_ to be the lookout?” Tommy asks.

 _Maybe_ she did. “That's besides the point.”

A distant sound coming from outside the ship stops them from saying anything more. Trini takes that as her signal to get back to the entrance and… act natural? They didn't really go over her roll in this thing.

Jason and Zack make their way into the ship, quickly noticing Trini. Though, it doesn't seem like they're suspicious or confused.

“T!” Zack says much louder than he needs to. “You're early.”

“Or you're late,” she says.

“Or time is fake and we're both wrong.”

“Where's B?”

Jason gestures back towards the cavern. “He wanted to test something back at the car. It's electronic so he can't bring it down here, but he told us he wouldn't be long so we should go ahead.”

“Kim and Tommy?”

Trini shrugs. “They weren't up there when you got here?”

“No…” Zack shakes his head. “Have you talked to them recently?”

She waits for them to start walking ahead of her before answering. “Uh… yeah.”

“That's weird. But also good, because I can yell at _them_ for being late, and they can't say anything about me. Especially not since I'm getting here with _half_ of our--”

“ _Zack_!”

Tommy and Kimberly time it well enough that they jump out from their hiding places at the exact same time.

Trini really wishes she could see Zack’s face right now, but she has to settle for hearing his yelp and watching him jump up in the air. He's grabbing at Jason as he does so, ending up bridal style in his arms. Jason had barely jumped, and even though she can't see his face, he seems to be more surprised that he's now _holding_ Zack.

“Yes!” Tommy calls out. “See, I knew he'd be flight instead of fight. He didn't try to punch us.”

“ _Why_?” Is Zack's only response.

“You put _doughnuts_ in my locker. You started this.”

“Kimberly? What'd I do to _you_?”

“Oh come on, Zack.” Kim shakes her head. “Billy was in on the doughnut thing; I wasn't gonna let her do this alone.”

“Jason turn around.” Zack waits until Jason’s facing the other way. “Trini. Were you in on this too?”

“In on what?”

“This _trap_.”

“What trap?”

Zack stares at her, slowly shaking his head. “I feel so betrayed.”

“Sorry buddy.”

“Uh, can I,” Jason starts to say. “Put you down now?”

“Will you carry me the rest of the way instead?”

Jason hesitates and then nods, spinning around and continuing to move past the girls.

“This isn't over.”

“You better be joking,” Trini says. “If you turn this into a _war_ , I'll stop talking to all of you.”

“I don't want a prank war to start, either,” Jason adds.

Zack nods. “I guess we'll just have to see what happens.”

 

\---

 

Trini hadn't given much thought to how it would go; she only knew that explaining Jason, Billy, and Zack’s relationship _had_ to happen before any of them came over again. So she's kind of improvising her explanation and hoping that it'll go well.

And now that she's actually saying, _“Hey, I need to tell you a few things about Jason and Billy before you meet them,”_ out loud, she can't help but wonder if this whole thing is a really big mistake. The short answer is: she has no idea. But at this point it's too late to back out. Trying to keep her family life separate from her friend life is only going to get harder; doing this _now_ might actually be for the best.

She starts off by going over the basics of their personalities. Topics that might turn things awkward. Just a general outline to keep things as neutral as possible. [She isn't optimistic enough to hope for this to go _well_ , so neutrality is the next best thing.] And then she jumps to the next subject before she can talk herself out of it. She doesn't realize until she's actually _said it_ , that the transition could've been worded better.

“Okay, things are going to get gay now, so bare with me.”

Her mother blinks a few times, and then reluctantly nods. “Go on.”

She takes a deep breath. “Jason and Billy are dating.”

There's a pause. And then another nod. “Okay.”

“So you're… okay with that?” She asks it carefully, almost bracing herself for something to shift.

“Yes, Trini, I'm okay with that.”

Her initial reaction is to say something with more feeling. To emphasize that her mother wasn't the most _welcoming_ when she came out, so _forgive her_ for trying to look out for her friends too. But she manages to keep calm. “I have to ask, Mom. You don't have a lot backing you up there.”

“I know I've said some insensitive things in the past about your… identity. But,” she says, taking a deep breath. “I’m trying to stay open-minded. This part of you isn't going anywhere, and I don't want to lose my daughter because I’m too stubborn to give things a chance. And I suppose that extends to your friends now as well.”

Whoa.

“But that only goes so far. I can handle your friends being gay, but if they're the ones getting you into all of this trouble, that's a different story.”

She's almost in shock. It's the complete opposite of what she was expecting, so adjusting to this new outlook that her mother is adopting is… taking a minute. “Thanks…?”

Yeah, that means a lot. Like, a hell of a lot. But she isn't ready to dish out big family hugs just yet.

And you know what? Since things are going so well, she might as well just go ahead and throw that last detail out there.

“And it's good that you say you're keeping an open mind, because Jason and Billy are also dating Zack.”

“What?”

“Yeah, all three of them dating each other at once. They're cute together. It's great. I've gotta go now. Bye,” she says it all while slowly walking backwards. And then she turns and leaves for her room as quickly as possible, leaving her mother behind to process in silence.

That was…

Wow.

 

\---

 

 ***Long Drawn Out Sigh*** ****  
  
**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | toliver | it’skimberly! | trini//]**

 **trini//:** hey

 **goldenboi:** Hey?

 **trini//:** so I told my mom abt u guys

 **trini//:** like, THE guys. Jason/Billy/Zack

 **goldenboi:** About us being together?

 **lil z:** the throuple™

 **goldenboi:** don't like that term

 **trini//:** yepp

 **toliver:** Is that why I'm feeling panicked right now?

 **trini//:** oh definitely

 **lil z:** is it a bad panic feeling

 **toliver:** There's a good kind?

 **lil z:** surprise parties???

 **toliver:** I don't like surprises

 **lil z:** no surprises??

 **toliver:** Nope

 **lil z:** seemed to like them when u scared the shot out of me in the ship

 **lil z:** **shit

 **goldenboi:** You don’t have autocorrect on ur phone, Z?? How did that happen?

 **lil z:** got too excited and typed too fast

 **toliver:** That's your fault for filling my locker w doughnuts

 **billyc:** How did it go, Trini?

 **trini//:** actually it went well?

 **trini//:** really well?

 **toliver:** It doesn't feel like it went well…?

 **trini//:** bc its the last thing I was expecting to happen and I'm just rlly confused

 **trini//:** I know I should just be happy that she's finally being open minded, but?? Idk

 **lil z:** so r we happy w this outcome?

 **lil z:** or keeping our guard up?

 **trini//:** we’re happy

 **lil z:** I get the feeling that u don't fully agree w that choice…?

 **lil z:** like I can't FEEL u at all rn

 **lil z:** but I'm p sure ur still keeping ur guard up

 **lil z:** tommy, care to comment?

 **toliver:** I'm feeling slightly panicked and really confused, but I honestly can't tell what's coming from me and what isn't

 **toliver** : So

 **trini//:** it's just smth I need to adjust to

 **trini//:** I'm glad that she's trying. I just wasn't expecting it

 **billyc:** So if telling her about me, Zack, and Jason went well, do you think us officially meeting her in a few days will go well too?

 **trini//:** I want to say yes

 **goldenboi:** I think we'll be fine, Billy

 **lil z:** who wouldn't love u two

 **lil z:** ur gonna do great don't sweat it

 **lil z:** the only person who should probably be worrying is kim

 **lil z:** just cause your mom has low key already met her and that didn't go well, and also bc ur fam knows that she's connected to u getting detention so she's clearly a troublemaker, and u gotta be all sneaky abt being totally into e/o for a whole night

 **trini//:** let me worry abt one thing at a time please

 **billyc:** Where is Kim?

 **lil z:**...good question

 **trini//:** idk maybe she finally put her phone on silent for once

 **trini//:** we'd know if something bad was going on, so my best guess is she wants to be alone for a while

 **lil z:** right, little miss “i know how to block the link and have my own privacy”

 **trini//:** u know u can do that too right?

 **lil z:** yes

 **lil z:** just wanted to be sassy

 **toliver:** You're all talking abt blocking the link, and I'm still over here trying to fully connect to it

 **toliver:** Where's my ranger handbook, Taylor?? I'm behind on my superpower knowledge and I need to catch up

 **lil z:** it's in progress

 **lil z:** now DELAYED bc someone decided to jumpscare me and throw me off my game

 **toliver:** That’s literally your fault???

 **toliver:** You started it, and u don't expect me to retaliate???

 **lil z:** where's ur sense of honor

 **lil z:** scaring someone in the comfort of their own spaceship

 **lil z:** the NERVE of some ppl

 **toliver:** You went after my LOCKER

 **toliver:** At SCHOOL

 **toliver:** IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY

 **lil z:** I know

 **lil z:** clearly u need a pranking for beginners book as well

 **toliver:** WOW

 **trini//:** can't u just apologize to each other before this gets out of hand?

 **toliver:** I will, but only if he does first

 **lil z:** hm

 **lil z:** no

 **trini//:** seriously Zack

 **lil z:** pranking rule number 1: an apology is the same as a surrender

 **trini//:** what's so bad abt that?

 **lil z:** it's admitting defeat, and I have not been defeated

 **toliver:** Bc u looked like a winner when we scared u in the ship //sarcasm

 **lil z:** I was being cradled in j’s arms, of course I was the winner in that situation

 **billyc:** Jason does have nice arms

 **lil z:** I rest my case

 **toliver:** I want to argue but that was rlly cute so I don't think I can

 **lil z:** exactly

 **trini//:** ok I'm leaving

 **trini//:** good luck Tommy

 **toliver:** Thanks I'll need it :/

 

\---

 

**Biconic Duo**

**[goldenboi | it’skimberly!]**

**goldenboi:** I have something that I need to talk to you about

 **it’skimberly!:** Sounds serious

 **goldenboi:** It might be

 **goldenboi:** But I might be overthinking it, so that’s why I’m just bringing it up w you

 **it’skimberly!:** Is it about Billy or Zack?

 **goldenboi:** No, it kind of has to do with Trini. Which is why I’m coming to you and not one of them.

 **it’skimberly!:** What is it?

 **goldenboi:** Okay, I’ll get to Trini in a minute, but I need to start with Tommy

 **it’skimberly!:** ??

 **goldenboi:** It’s about the link

 **goldenboi:** We’ve talked to Tommy about all of us being connected and stuff, right? And some of us have been able to feel her in the link. You, Z, and T have all said you’ve gotten smth from her. How many times has she said she’s been able to feel smth from one of us?

 **it’skimberly!:** Maybe three or four?

 **goldenboi:** And so far it’s been the same person each time.

 **it’skimberly!:** And this is where Trini comes in?

 **goldenboi:** Yes. Maybe 3 or 4 isn’t much of a trend, but with our link I think it’s meaningful.

 **it’skimberly!:** She could be feeling a lot more and just not telling us

 **goldenboi:** I know

 **it’skimberly!:** BUT, I do think that’s kind of weird.

 **goldenboi:** I don't know. If it were me u or Zack then I might not make a big deal out of it. But Trini and Billy obviously have a connection to Rita that the rest of us don't. It's making me nervous. Like we aren't getting any closer to getting rid of her completely

 **it’skimberly!:** But we could never feel Rita before. Tommy is connected to the grid, but I think the evil that's leftover from the coin is a completely different thing. I think that's what's blocking us

 **goldenboi:** Whatever is left of Rita is hitching a ride on Tommy’s consciousness. It might be blocking and controlling at the same time

 **goldenboi:** I'm not saying it means anything, just that we shouldn't ignore it

 **it’skimberly!:** Everything's putting us on edge, Jace. I don't think we're in danger of overlooking anything.

 **goldenboi:** Maybe not. But I wanted to bring it up.

 **it’skimberly!:** We’ll keep it in mind, okay? We can have e/o’s backs, but I don't think we should drag Tommy into anything else unless it's absolutely necessary

 **goldenboi:** She's part of the team now. I'm looking out for her too

 **it’skimberly!:** This is getting a little too serious for me

 **it’skimberly!:** I'm gonna go before I say smth dumb

 **goldenboi:** Oh

 **goldenboi:** Ok?

 **it’skimberly!:** But before I leave

 **it’skimberly!:** You're a good friend. Leader or not.

 **goldenboi:** Thanks Kim

 

\---

 

Jason was nervous when he was introduced to Billy’s mom as _the boyfriend_ for the first time. When they introduced Zack as the _other boyfriend_ . He was nervous meeting Zack’s mother for the same reason, and he doesn’t even want to _think_ about talking to his own parents about any of this.

That all makes sense.

What doesn’t make any sense is that he’s _nervous_ about having to meet _Trini’s_ family.

It has to be a ranger thing, right?

The link is weird. It's complicated. Hard to explain and hard to understand. But it has brought them closer. Like, in the sense that they kind of share emotions now, but also in the sense that they'd sacrifice themselves if it meant keeping each other safe. They're a family.

But just because they're a family doesn't mean Jason should  _care_ so deeply about what Trini's parents are going to think of him. Hell, he even cares about what her  _brothers_ might think of him.

Maybe it's because he's the leader.

It doesn't make any sense. There's  _so much_ going on right now that none of them understand, and this dinner thing is what's been on his mind the most over the past couple of days.

It's  _new_ and it's  _weird_.

But Billy and Zack have both been telling him that it'll go fine. And Billy's going to be with him, so they can help each other out. Keep calm and get through this without too much going wrong. Hopefully without  _anything_ going wrong.

Hopefully.

 

\---

 

 ***Long Drawn Out Sigh*** ****  
  
**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | toliver | it’skimberly! | trini//]**

 **it’skimberly!:** I haven't been getting anything from the link, so I take it that means things went ok?

 **lil z:** they went fine stop worrying

 **toliver:** You weren't even there

 **lil z:** my bfs were so it's almost the same thing

 **it’skimberly!:** You literally said I should be worrying the other day

 **lil z:** i did say that didn't i…

 **lil z:** I mean, it's TRUE

 **lil z:** but if u panic you'll only make it worse

 **it’skimberly!:** That is not helpful

 **billyc:** I think it went well. Trini’s brothers asked me a lot of questions about my projects, so I got to talk about that for a while.

 **trini//:**  they were especially interested in Billy saying he blew up his lunchbox

 **lil z:** it's a fun story I don't blame them

 **trini//:** that's the one thing my mom didn't really appreciate

 **trini//:** explosives + my brothers and their imagination = not good

 **trini//:** but they like Billy, so it all worked out I guess

 **billyc:** I just had to tell Trini’s mom that I don't keep explosive material out in the open when we have movie nights at my house.

 **toliver:** Do we have resistance to explosive damage as rangers?

 **lil z:** best guess is yes

 **billyc:** We seem to be resistant to most things, but I haven't tested explosions yet. I mean I have had things explode in front of me before, like down at the mines before we became Rangers, but I haven't done an isolated test since then.

 **trini//:** I think we should leave that a mystery and not take any chances

 **lil z:** assuming is dangerous t

 **lil z:** wouldn't u rather know for sure

 **trini//:** not if it results in one of us getting hurt

 **lil z:** even if I'm the test dummy??

 **trini//:** think abt it z

 **trini//:** at least Billy has experience working w those materials. But if he used one of us to test it??

 **trini//:** the two ppl who are dumb enough to volunteer for smth like that are my best friend and my gf

 **trini//:** so no, i don't think we should test it

 **lil z:** IM YOUR BEST FRIEND

 **lil z:** i’m screenshotting this in case u try to deny it later

 **it’skimberly!:** You really think I'd purposely do smth like that??

 **trini//:** yes

 **it’skimberly!:** Ok, that's fair

 **it’skimberly!:** I probably would

 **lil z:** what abt tommy

 **lil z:** she's a wild card too

 **lil z:** why isn't she dumb enough to volunteer for that

 **trini//:** we literally have to pull her off the cliff to get her to the ship

 **trini//:** different kind of wild from the two of u

 **trini//:** more life preserving, less thrill seeking

 **toliver:** You guys need a new way to get to your base

 **it’skimberly!:** We really do. It's super inconvenient the way we do it now

 **lil z:** [ _maybe so.gif_ ]

 **it’skimberly!:** I wanna go back to talking abt this family meeting/dinner/whatever the hell it is

 **it’skimberly!:** Bc just because it went well for J and B doesn't mean it'll go well a second time

 **it’skimberly!:** Bluejay has a completely different dynamic from us three

 **lil z:** blue jay

 **it’skimberly!:** Billy is blue, Jay for Jason

 **lil z:** that's not their ship name

 **it’skimberly!:** What??

 **lil z:** it's cranscott, get w the picture kim

 **trini//:** so we all have names like this

 **lil z:** of course

 **lil z:** having trouble putting 3 together tho

 **lil z:** for the throuple ive been thinking… zasilly

 **it’skimberly!:** Wow

 **toliver:** cranscottaylor seems easier to say

 **it’skimberly!:** So u have Tommy factored into this, Z?

 **lil z:** every possibility has been considered, realistic or not

 **it’skimberly!:** The three girls then?

 **lil z:** ok get ready for it

 **lil z:** tomberlini

 **trini//:** ?? that's so dumb

 **lil z:** look, trini

 **lil z:** CLEARLY u all need names that are easier to mash together

 **toliver:** I have an even dumber one

 **lil z:** ooh, go on

 **toliver:** halivermez

 **trini//:** I didn't think Zack could be beat… but ur right… you've done it

 **it’skimberly!:** That sucks

 **it’skimberly!:** We deserve a cool name

 **toliver:** Moral of the story: it's really hard to mash three + names together

 **lil z:** your name is v mashable tho kim

 **lil z:** trimberly tomberly jimberly, etc

 **it’skimberly!:** Good point

 **toliver:** So when you said “every possibility has been considered” did u mean you've thought of all SIX of us too

 **trini//:** oh no

 **lil z:** !!!

 **lil z:** im glad u asked

 **lil z:** crayscottomberlini

 **lil z:** crayscalivermez

 **trini//:** bad

 **it’skimberly!:** Wait I only have one letter in that second one

 **lil z:** you take what u can get hart

 **trini//:** u can't even pronounce either of those

 **lil z:** [ _icanpronounceit.mp3_ ]

 **toliver:** Damn

 **it’skimberly!:** How long have u been practicing that

 **lil z:** one take

 **toliver:** But it took a half an hour for you to send that clip

 **lil z:** shhh

 **lil z:** you don't know me

 **it’skimberly!:** This is why dinner is going to be a disaster

 **lil z:** **this is why t’s mom is going to love us

 **toliver:** [ _x-doubt.jpeg_ ]

 **it’skimberly!:** ^^^

 **lil z:** no u have to believe in us

 **lil z:** ...i believe in us

 

\---

 

She doesn't know what it is about the cliff that makes her freeze up. If it's the uncertain landing. The possibility that she’ll hit something--a rock or another person--on the way down. Maybe she has an issue with water that she never knew about? Or a problem with heights? It's a really long fall. Maybe she's scared that willingly _jumping_ will make this alien/ranger situation too real. Maybe.

Whatever it is, she isn't letting herself think that it could be the coin doing this. The previous green ranger. That theory might not even make sense, but it doesn't matter because she _isn't_ thinking about it. Won't even think the name. It's like Voldemort or Beetlejuice. And she's pretty sure those only work when you say the name _out loud_ , but this is a slightly different situation. Adjust rules as needed.

“ _Yo_ , Tommy!”

She had been standing at the edge of the cliff--yes, it's a stupid thing to do. She knows--so getting jolted out of that daydream is kind of terrifying. If you can even call it a daydream. And whoever said her name is definitely standing right behind her, so her automatic reflex is to turn enough to grab onto them.

It's Zack. She managed to catch onto his jacket.

As soon as she's stable enough to keep standing on her own, she lets go of the fabric and lightly shoves at his shoulders. “Seriously, Taylor? I almost threw you over the edge.”

“That wouldn't have been bad.” He shrugs, putting his hands up in a surrender position. “But it's kind of the opposite of what I was _trying_ to do.”

“You were trying to scare me into jumping on my own?”

“You were standing at the edge of a cliff not paying attention to your surroundings. I was going to let whatever happened happen.”

She closes her eyes for a moment in an attempt to calm down.

“Hey, I’m sorry,” Zack says. “I wasn't actually trying to scare you. But I know you said you don't like surprises, so if it'll make you feel better you can throw me down there yourself.”

That _might_ make her feel better…

But the sound of the others getting closer is enough for her to hold back.

She shakes her head and steps _away_ from the edge.

“Hey, are you two ready to get down there?” Jason calls out once he's close enough.

Zack gives a thumbs up.

“Okay, so,” Jason continues. “Tommy, you still don't think you can jump off?”

She glances at the edge and then shakes her head. “Not willingly.”

“But you _do_ want to get to the ship.”

“Unfortunately.”

“So who’s gonna help her out?”

Zack shrugs. “Do you have a preference?”

“Yeah,” Tommy says. “Anyone but you.”

Zack gasps. “Words can hurt, Tommy.”

“So you don't care?” Jason asks, and Tommy shakes her head.

It'd be weird if she said yes, wouldn't it? If she chose one specific person? Even if that _is_ what she wants to do.

It's Kim who drags her down there. There was barely a second after Tommy had nodded when someone grabbed her jacket at the shoulder and started to pull her along. She was somehow quick enough to get her phone out from her pocket and just toss it in the air before there was nothing under her feet anymore.

She vaguely remembers someone yelling, “ _Don't worry, I caught it_ .” But she doesn't feel much--aside from shock--when they hit the water. She doesn't even realize that it was _Kim_ until they've both resurfaced.

“Sorry,” Kim says. “Last time we were stuck up there for ten minutes trying to figure this out.”

Tommy slowly shakes her head. “I'm never gonna get used to this.”

The others follow not long after, and the six of them take their time getting down to the ship. Tommy still isn't entirely sure why they're letting her tag along. The only thing that makes sense to her is that it allows them to keep a better eye on her. If she's stuck underground _with them_ , then there's little to no danger of things going wrong up top.

There's been a steady discussion over whether or not she should be training with them. They haven't reached a decision yet.

On the bright side, she isn't stuck doing nothing. If one of the others isn't keeping her company during their break, she'll sit and focus on clearing her mind. Being close to the grid feels like it helps. And it kind of makes her feel like she has a bit of a chance against this dumb evil stuff.

At least, that's how it's been the past couple of times she's been here. But now it's different.

She's just sitting against some of the rock in the Pit when she notices a flicker of green covering her arms. But it is just a flicker--it doesn't last long.

Glancing up, she can tell that the others are busy enough that they wouldn't have seen it either way.

A long moment goes by of her staring at the palm of her hand, like it'll happen again if she waits long enough. But nothing.

Maybe she just imagined it.

A few more minutes go by and it happens again.

Sort of.

The green is only in the palm of her left hand, but it isn't flickering. It's there, solid, expanding. And now she wishes that it _would_ go away. It's presence clearly means something, and she's too scared to find out what exactly that is.

“Hey.”

She looks up, closing her hand into a fist and lowering it to her side.

“Having any luck over here?” Trini breaks away from the group, taking a seat on the ground a few feet away.

Tommy shrugs. “Hard to tell.”

Trini nods, grabbing for her water bottle, but otherwise keeping her eyes on the other four. After another few seconds of silence, it seems safe to assume that the conversation between them was over before it really even started.

Tommy glances back down and to the left, opening up her hand. It's empty. Or, at least bare.

It's really frustrating how little sense this makes.

And if she's being honest, all that talk about a “ranger handbook” has mostly been a joke. If Zack were to actually get together something like that, then yeah, she'd definitely take him up on it. But it didn't seem like a realistic thing to genuinely ask for.

Right about now she could really use _some_ information about this superhero thing. Something a little beyond the basics. The others are being helpful, but they're holding things back. And she understands why, but it _is_ also making it more difficult for her to actively fight this evil stuff.

“How does morphing work?” There's no harm in asking, right? She isn't even sure if that's what the green flickering was, but it seems to make the most sense.

The question definitely catches Trini’s attention, but she doesn't respond right away. “What?”

“I've heard all of you talk about it before, and I know that it _happens_. But I've never seen it. It just… seems pretty important, and I don't know anything about it.”

There's a long moment where Trini doesn't say anything--she just gets a focused look on her face like she's trying to figure something out. [Like she's trying to figure _Tommy_ out.]

“Or I guess we _don't_ have to talk about it…?”

Trini shakes her head. “It's a weird self-reflective thing. I'm not the one you want explaining it to you.”

Any explanation she gets is going to be helpful, so she isn't picky about who gives it to her. But Tommy’s pretty sure she shouldn't push the subject right now. It's entirely possible that Trini doesn't _want_ to talk to her about this stuff. And, considering the history she now knows about, it's probably better that she drop it instead of taking any chances.

“Why are you asking right now?” Trini asks.

“No reason.” As soon as she's said it, she realizes that it might not have been the best choice of words. She might as well have just said, _“There's absolutely a reason, but I'm going to lie because I don't want you to know what’s actually going on.”_

“You know we've got a walking lie detector machine back there, right?”

Yeah, lying was a pretty stupid idea. “Okay, there _was_ a reason, but it's nothing worth mentioning. Honestly.”

Trini nods along. “Yeah, I one hundred percent do not believe you.”

Tommy sighs. “I think I was _starting_ to morph? Maybe? It was just a patch on my hand and it didn't last long--I'm not even sure if it was real or not. I could have been imagining it.”

“Word of advice? Everything’s worth mentioning. Even if you’re imagining it.”

“Sorry. I’m not used to… sharing everything.”

“I get that,” Trini says, shaking her head. “I just… think you should consider how it looks to the rest of us if we find out you’ve been hiding _ranger_ related things.”

That makes sense. It isn’t even surprising. She _knows_ that they’re having a hard time trusting her--if she’s lying about these things, that doesn’t make her look very good.

“But you _should_ talk to one of them about this.”

“Yeah. I will. Thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a slight update: my Tumblr name is now doughnutcleric


	20. In All Chaos, There Is Calculation

**The Duo Formerly Known as “Green”**

**[billyc | trini//]**

**trini//:** hey Billy

 **trini//:** are u doing ok?

 **trini//:** I was feeling some nightmare vibes from you, so I was just checking in

 

***Long Drawn Out Sigh***

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | toliver | it’skimberly! | trini//]**

**trini//:** is Billy ok?

 **trini//:** can’t get out of my house to go check on him

 **lil z:** i got it t

 **lil z:** he’s ok I’m facetiming him rn

 **trini//:** ok good

 

**Pink Lemonade**

**[it’skimberly! | trini//]**

**it’skimberly:** I don’t know if we would’ve been able to feel it bc everyone’s emotions have been all over the place. But have your nightmares been bothering you lately too?

 **trini//:** honestly i haven’t been getting much sleep at all

 **trini//:** this morphing problem, tommy dilemma, everything else

 **trini//:** idk how to explain it, it’s just a lot

 **trini//:** oh no wait i’ve got it

 **trini//:** [ _this is fine.png_ ]

 **it’skimberly!:** So that’s a yes and you just haven’t processed it yet

 **trini//:** yeah probably

 **it’skimberly!:** That window lock really does suck, huh

 **trini//:** it does

 **trini//:** but fun fact Kim

 **trini//:** Tommy taught u how to pick it

 **it’skimberly!:** I don’t want to come over unless you ask me to

 **it’skimberly!:** And you said it’s about 80 times riskier now than it has been before

 **trini//:** I know

 **trini//:** I’m just

 **trini//:** stressed and tired

 **it’skimberly!:** Big mood, T

 **trini//:** do u say that kind of stuff to ur therapist, and if so, how the hell does she respond?

 **it’skimberly!:** I do

 **it’skimberly!:** After the first time I said it she wanted me to explain what it meant. And that was weird

 **it’skimberly!:** It was kind of an accident. I don't say it a lot.

 **trini//:** huh

 **trini//:** do u ever have small mood?

 **it’skimberly!:** ...What?

 **trini//:** u say mood and big mood so there’s medium and big, but is there small

 **it’skimberly!:** Are you high?

 **trini//:** just sleep deprived, but that’s almost the same thing

 **it’skimberly!:** I think I’d say soft mood

 **trini//:** what would u describe as a soft mood

 **it’skimberly!:** You sound like my therapist

 **trini//:** Kim I’m bored just humor me

 **it’skimberly!:** Idk, wanting cotton candy bc it’s like eating magic clouds?

 **trini//:** oh my god

 **it’skimberly!:** What were you expecting

 **it’skimberly!:** Soft mood isn’t that common for me

 **it’skimberly!:** Ugh that means smth abt my subconscious doesn’t it

 **trini//:** yepp

 **trini//:** I want cotton candy now, thanks

 **it’skimberly!:** You’re welcome

 

 **trini//** changed their name to **soft mood**

 

 **it’skimberly!:** Ok

 **it’skimberly!:** What

 **soft mood:** I’m feeling it

 **soft mood:** also I don’t think I’ll remember doing this in the morning, so it’s like a surprise for future me

 **it’skimberly!:** Will u pls go to sleep now

 **soft mood:** yeah I’ll try

 

\---

 

 ***Long Drawn Out Sigh*** ****  
  
**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | toliver | it’skimberly! | soft mood]**

 **goldenboi:** I’m sure everything will go fine tonight, but I’ll wish you all luck just in case

 **it’skimberly!:** Thanks, we’ll need it

 **lil z:** dont worry so much guys

 **lil z:** what’s the worst that could happen

 **soft mood:** why would u say that

 **toliver:** You’ve jinxed us

 **lil z:** t

 **lil z:**...what happened to ur name?

 **soft mood:** I changed it

 **lil z:** u changed it or kim changed it??

 **soft mood:** I did, but I guess I got the inspiration from her

 **lil z:** ok sweet

 **lil z:** ANyway

 **lil z:** u have to get rid of those thoughts, my buds

 **lil z:** i’m not jinxing anything, but if u decide we’re doomed before we even get to t’s house, then what’s gonna stop everything from going wrong

 **it’skimberly!:** Are you saying the night will be saved by the power of positive thinking?

 **lil z:** yeah!!!

 **toliver:** Uhhh

 **billyc:** Science backs it up!

 **soft mood:** wait really?

 **billyc:** Yeah. There are a lot of experiments that have gone into testing how positive thoughts affect everyday life. There isn’t much concrete evidence that’s universally accepted, but for the most part positivity is good!!!

 **it’skimberly!:** Oh wow

 **soft mood:** that explains a lot abt my life

 **goldenboi:** then I’m sending out good vibes as well as luck

 **toliver:** Dope, thanks

 **lil z:** thnx boo

 **it’skimberly!:** Do you normally call Jason “boo”

 **lil z:** im tryin it out

 **lil z:** and it was a thnx for billy too. boo is almost like blue

 **lil z:** thnx bloo

 **lil z:** like u don’t call t stuff other than her name

 **it’skimberly!:** I don’t

 **it’skimberly!:** At least I don’t think I do

 **soft mood:** can we not have this conversation

 **lil z:** i see

 **lil z:** ur jealous

 **soft mood:** what gives u that idea

 **lil z:** kim doesn’t have a pet name for u

 **soft mood:** I promise u that’s not it at all

 **soft mood:** I just know this is smth that can get rlly weird rlly fast

 **toliver:** Esp for the 6th wheel over here

 **lil z:** ok we can stop for tommy

 **lil z:** the only reason it’d get weird for t is if she secretly wanted a pet name

 **lil z:** *sips tea*

 **soft mood:** Kim help

 **it’skimberly!:** With what? A pet name?

 **soft mood:** Kim

 **it’skimberly!:** Zack stop

 **lil z:** i rlly admire the thought and effort u put into that retaliation k

 **toliver:** Now all I can think abt is that vine

 **billyc:** Which vine?

 **toliver:** “Zack stop

 **toliver:** Zack stop, you’re gonna get in trouble”

 **toliver:** *cut to guy surrounded by police*

 **lil z:** ya i relate to that one

 **soft mood:** I gotta go

 **soft mood:** before any of u make this day more stressful than it already is

 **lil z:** good vibes t!!!

 

\---

 

Trini answers the door when the three of them get to her house, but as they step inside, her brothers aren’t too far behind. The two move down the line, greeting each of them in the order that they walked in. Zack gets the most casual welcome. But with Kim, things are a bit more forced.

“Hello Kimberly, T’s _friend_ who we are now meeting for the first time ever,” one says.

The other nods, sweeping a hand out in one big gesture. “Welcome to our home, which you have _never_ been inside before.”

Trini stands there with a blank expression, like she’s already accepted that _this_ is how the night is going to go. “Guys. Tone it down. Please.”

And for now, all they’ve said to Tommy is asking what her name is. And then they stared at her for a moment before nodding and moving on.

The basic introductions don’t even go too terribly because it’s pretty much just _these are Trini’s friends, these are their names, they’re really cool, okay great done_ . Trini’s mom said they’d have plenty of time to get to know each other while they eat. To which Zack added, _“Yeah, food’s a great distraction to keep things from getting awkward.”_

That was followed by a minute long stretch of silence.

They decided to wait in the living room after that. All except Zack—he insisted on helping out in the kitchen, or _at least_ setting things up on the dining room table—and Trini’s father, Daniel. He needed to take a phone call in the other room.

Unfortunately, being stuck in the area away from the parents is somehow going worse than Tommy anticipated. Because while Trini and Kimberly are having their own conversation, Trini’s brothers are free to question Tommy about… everything.

And to make it a little more nerve-wracking, they kind of have her trapped in her seat. She had sat down on one end of the couch, but the boys are standingright in front of her. There’s a coffee table behind them, close enough that they could sit on it if they really wanted to, and Kim’s on the opposite end of the couch--Trini took a chair perpendicular to them--so Tommy really _is_ blocked in. She’s just grateful that she isn’t claustrophobic.

“So, Tommy…” Jackson says, narrowing his eyes.

“Uh… yeah?”

He drops his voice down to a whisper. “Do you like our sister too?”

Wait. What? “What do you mean? She’s… she’s my friend…”

“Because we know Kim likes her even though we _don’t know_ ,” Dante says, over emphasizing the last two words. “And we heard Zack say he liked T before he knew she didn’t like dudes.”

“I mean…” She shrugs. “She’s just my friend.”

The stares they’re giving her are way too intense.

“Okay…” Jackson says.

Did they ask Jason and Billy the same thing when they were over? Or is she just emitting some weird gay aura that—for some reason—makes them think she’s into Trini? “Why are you asking me that?”

“Why are you freaking out?”

“I’m not freaking out.” She says it in a neutral enough tone, but she knows that it still isn’t convincing. “ _You’re_ freaking out.”

Oh, wow. That was smooth.

First she screwed up with Trini when she brought up morphing the other day, and now this. Why is she so terrible at _talking_ to this family?

“You’re freaking out,” Jackson says, smiling.

Dante’s still trying to keep quiet, but when he talks it ends up as more of a stage whisper. “You _do_ like her!”

She has to glance to the side to make sure that didn’t catch anyone else’s attention. Thankfully Kim and Trini are too focused on their own conversation to have any sort of reaction.

Clearly the first response she comes up with—flat out denial—isn’t going to work. But she should probably come up with some way to sort this out, right?

By the time she turns back to the boys, they’ve both taken off. So it might be a _little_ bit harder to fix this now. She can’t exactly clear things up if they aren’t in the same space anymore.

When she sees Zack walk back into the room, she decides he’s her best option. So she calls out his name to get his attention.

In no hurry, Zack makes his way across the room, falling onto the open space in the middle of the couch. “‘Sup?”

She barely waits for him to get comfortable before she jumps right into the issue. “I accidentally convinced Trini’s brothers I _like_ her, and they ran away before I could do anything about it. And now I don’t know _what_ to do; I have a feeling that everything I say will only make it worse.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Zack blinks, a mixture of confusion and amusement on his face. “You _accidentally convinced_ them? How does that work?”

“It was a… I was already freaking out because I have no idea how the rest of this night is gonna go. And I don’t want to go all evil in the middle of dinner. But they were like, _‘everyone likes her, do you like her too?’_ So I said I did as a friend, and I asked why they were asking me that. And then they were like, _‘you do like her you’re freaking out!’_ But of course I was freaking out because I’m already on thin ice with her, and if her brothers tell her that I’m into her she’ll only see it as creepy Rita-possessed fixation. And I don’t know how to fix it.”

“So you _don’t_ like her.”

Tommy closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “ _That is not the point of this freak out, Taylor._ ”

“Alright, sorry.” He holds his hands up in surrender. “But you’re fine. They’re totally messing with you. It’s just what they do; they have their own way of screening T’s friends to make sure they’re cool, or something.”

“Nothing about that makes me feel any better.”

“Kim and I passed. You should be fine.”

Tommy shakes her head. “Okay, I’m sure that’s true and everything. But that doesn’t make any sense.”

She’s pretty sure she just accidentally screwed up with answering their question. They seemed too surprised for that to have been planned.

“You’re just a little on edge. It’ll keep you on your toes.”

Tommy glares at him.

“I’ll tell them to stop hazing the new girl, but you’ll have to chill out too.”

No promises. “Okay.”

He gives her a pat on the back before pushing off of the couch and leaving to find the boys.

But he is right. She does need to chill out. Normally that isn’t such a problem for her; she _knows_ how to keep her cool. But ever since this coin found its way into her life, it’s been getting progressively harder to calm the fuck down.

This whole alien superhero situation is seriously damaging her _mysterious badass_ reputation.

“Hey, are you doing alright?” Kim asks. Tommy hadn’t even noticed that the other two had finished up with their talk. “You look stressed.”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

She can’t really get away with lying if the others can _sense_ what she’s feeling. That link sucks sometimes. And Tommy isn’t even fully tapped into it yet, so that double sucks. It’s been like a one-way call most of the time; all five of them have been feeling things coming from her, but she’s only gotten stuff from two of them at most. “As long as I’m out of the spotlight, I’ll be right as rain.”

Kim nods, but she doesn’t seem convinced. “Okay.”

The food is ready just a couple of minutes later, but Tommy’s only half relieved to hear that. On the plus side: food. But the downside is everyone’s stuck together in one small place. Talking.

Time to take a deep breath.

Until it _isn’t_ because something--she doesn’t know if it’s the universe, Rita, the coin itself--might as well be saying, _fuck you, not today_.

The coin is still in her pocket, and she doesn’t _sense_ anything off as far as she can tell. But she can _feel_ the coin heating up. Almost like it’s burning.

Fucking hell.

 

\---

 

“Hey, change of plans,” Tommy says, hanging back to catch Kimberly before they get to the kitchen. “We might actually have a problem.”

Of course it was too much for Kim to hope that the _power of positive thinking_ would be enough to keep the night from blowing up. And you know what? They haven’t even been at the house long, but she really was starting to believe in it.

June didn’t give her that same _judging onceover_ that she got the first time she stopped by. That was supposed to be a good sign.

When Tommy grabs her hand she isn’t sure what to think. The problem is… what? That Tommy wants to hold her hand?

That’s what she’s thinking until she realizes there’s something _in_ her hand, and Tommy was just trying to be subtle about it. It’s a power coin. Tommy’s power coin. And it’s… hot.

“ _Ow_. What the hell?” She says, keeping her voice low enough that it won’t draw attention. “Is that not hurting you?”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” Tommy says, finally dropping Kim’s hand. “But I’m kind of freaking out.”

“Maybe it’s like sweating out a fever…?” Positive thinking is still applicable in this situation, right?

Tommy gives her a look. “You think my coin is burning out a possession?”

“Do you have any better ideas?”

With Tommy’s non-response, Kim takes that as a no.

But they’re also getting to their seats around the table, so either way the conversation has to be put on pause.

Things start out about as smooth as they expected—which is a little bumpy, but nothing too catastrophic. But Trini’s mother commenting on their love lives _might_ be the signal that the night’s about to go downhill. Zack says something about how he’s dating Jason and Billy, and that gets followed by Kim and Tommy getting asked if they’re seeing anyone.

At least it naturally follows the conversation?

And, you know. Lying by omission is kind of their thing right now. Kimberly lightly shakes her head, saying, “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

Everyone—and by everyone, that just means Trini’s parents—seems to buy it, so they move on and turn to Tommy.

“Oh. No. Me neither.” She shrugs. “Not really my thing.”

For some reason June doesn’t seem to buy that as easily as she believed Kim. Which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, since Tommy’s actually telling the truth.

“So no boyfriend. No _girlfriend_ either?”

“Oh my god. Mom,” Trini says, sighing.

“Um. No…?” Tommy says.

She’s trying to be inclusive, at least, so… that’s something.

But now everyone’s glancing around the table at each other, mostly confused, but also maybe a little skeptical. That _no_ kind of sounded like a question.

It’d be awesome if that link they share made them directly telepathic too.

“I’m sorry. I thought I’d ask just to be sure,” June says, shrugging. “I don’t want to say anything too… offensive.”

“I mean, you’re right. I’m not… I said it wasn’t my thing, and that’s how I meant it. _Boyfriends_ aren’t my… I just didn’t want to be like… too blunt, I guess. I mean, I _am_ gay, but… um… Thanks for asking?” Tommy glances at Zack and Kim sitting on either side of her, sending out some serious _help me_ vibes.

Kim leans forward against the table to look down at Zack. “Hey, Zack, you know what’s really cool?”

Zack shakes his head and answers with an over dramatic flair. “No. What _is_ it Kimberly?”

Kimberly smiles and attempts to match his enthusiasm with her response. “That wasn’t a set up for anything. I was genuinely asking because I have no preplanned topic points.”

“ _Oh_ . Well, in that case, I _do_ know what’s cool,” Zack says. “How about them Power Rangers?

Facepalming isn’t really an emotion, but if it _were_ , it’d be the perfect thing to describe the feeling Trini’s sending out into the link.

“I saw the painting you guys did on T’s wall. It’s pretty sweet.”

Dante nods. “Yeah, we’re kind of a big deal around here.”

“Your work’s in high demand?”

“Oh yeah.”

“As it should be.”

Okay, so something to keep in mind: Zack’s pretty good at changing the subject. Good to know.

What’s throwing Kim, though, is how Tommy was totally off her game trying to answer that question. If it’s the coin that has her on edge, or she’s just being awkwardly cautious because she knows that Trini’s mom is unpredictable when it comes to the gay stuff. Probably both. Making a good impression, not saying something that’ll backfire on Trini, not accidentally turning evil, and keeping an eye on her coin.

Or it could be that she just _really_ hates the attention. She did say earlier that she’d be fine as long as they didn’t focus on her for too long.

“No, Kim likes the _yellow_ one,” one of the boys says, causing Kim to tune back into the conversation.

It’s like she can _feel_ Trini freeze after hearing that. Because this is supposed to be the first time Kim has met them; they probably shouldn’t know who her favorite Power Ranger is just yet.

“Did you already talk about this before dinner?” Trini’s father asks.

Trini shakes her head. “Uh, no. They were asking me all kinds of questions about my friends the other day.”

Quick save.

Though June still looks a bit skeptical of the situation. She sits up a bit and asks, “Which one is Zack’s favorite?”

Kim glances back at Zack for a moment, noticing that he’s subtly trying to point to his shirt--which is, of course, black--but the boys have their answer ready without even looking in his direction. Not that it really  _matters_. They can say any color and Zack would go along with it.

“Black. Duh.”

It doesn’t look like she cares for the _duh_ remark, but she does seem to believe them. “And Tommy?”

They look at each other, confused for a moment, before turning their attention to Tommy.

“Oh. Uh,” Tommy says. “I haven’t been paying much attention to that. Honestly, my family wasn’t expecting all of this superhero stuff when we moved here, and I kind of wish it would… stop.”

“But the Power Rangers are so _cool_!” Jackson says.

But June is saying, “I’m sure they are, but I have to agree with Tommy. The destruction that those… _things_ are causing is putting all of us in danger. And at this rate the damage is happening so frequently that Angel Grove can’t keep up with repairs.”

“The Rangers are at least keeping this place from being _completely_ destroyed, so we have to give them that,” Daniel says, nodding.

It’s an odd thing to think about. Because _yeah_ their lives would be a lot easier if they didn’t have to worry about aliens or monster things attacking them and their city. But if they _didn’t_ have to protect the town anymore… Would they even still _be_ Rangers? Would they want to give that up?

It’s definitely had its down sides, but it’s still what brought all five of them together. Now what brought all _six_ of them together. It wouldn’t really be the same if they didn’t have their powers anymore.

It isn’t too much longer when the locker situation is brought up. Asking if Trini and Kimberly are still having _troubles_ with them. Internally Kim’s just thinking about how there’s only _one_ locker, and this time it’s Zack’s--Who knows what the hell is going on with _their_ old lockers. The school may or may not have fixed those doors, but they haven’t been paying enough attention notice. Zack’s locker has been working out just fine on its own. Kimberly tells them that things have quieted down, and they’re doing fine with what they’ve got.

Then they move on to talking about hobbies. How Kim _used_ to cheer, but she doesn’t anymore. And when she’s asked if she does anything--like sports or clubs--now, she says she hikes around the mountains sometimes. She considers mentioning swimming. But if she has to explain _where_ she swims, that might not give off the best impression.

And she also has to remind herself not to say anything too dumb. Like listing _therapy_ off as one of her new hobbies. She doesn’t _think_ she would be that absentminded, but with her record of reckless/impulsiveness it’s best to be on the safe side.

Then they move on to Zack. June just says, “I hear you’re working at Ernie’s,” and he smiles enthusiastically and nods.

“Yes ma’am. Have you ever stopped by? It has a really chill atmosphere.”

“No, I haven’t found myself over there recently.”

Trini’s father nods, though. “With Krispy Kreme gone, I’ve been by to grab a coffee now and then. I like it. It has a… nostalgic feel to it.”

“Exactly!” Zack says, and then looks across the table at Trini. “See, T. You should visit me at work more often.”

“Yeah, I wanna go,” Jackson says. “You should take us next time.”

Trini shrugs. “Yeah, we’ll see.”

“Is it really just called _Ernie’s_ though?” Tommy asks. “I’ve been down there, but… I’m really confused because I’ve heard like five different names for it.”

“ _Well_ , yes and no,” Zack says. “The place used to just be the Angel Grove Youth Center, but then that wasn’t cool anymore and it was easier to call it _The Juice Bar_ . And then everyone was like _what’s with the juice?_ So it became _The Brain Freeze_ ; that was just frozen yogurt. And _then_ Krispy Kreme started getting popular here, so he converted it back to a more general hangout place that sells coffee and doughnuts and stuff. Now it’s a mashup of everything it used to be, and just called _Ernie’s_. Because Ernie’s the one who runs it.”

“That sounds unnecessarily complicated.”

“Angel Grove is a strange place, Tommy.”

And then, finally, they ask Tommy if she has any hobbies. She says she used to be into karate, but after moving here she’s just been trying to adjust to being in a new place. June responds by saying it’s good to be focussing on schoolwork and family before _other_ things. Tommy just kind of nods after that.

If family and schoolwork is all any of them had to worry about, their lives would be so… different. Even without their powers, each of them would still have a whole hell of a lot of that they have to deal with.

They’re pretty much done eating by that point. They were already starting to drag things out _because_ they were talking so much, but now they’re just sitting at the table talking without anything else to use as a distraction.

And that’s when things take a turn.

Almost out of nowhere June says, “Are you _sure_ Zack is the only one of you dating someone?”

Trini stares at her mother. “We already talked about this. You don’t need to bring it up again.”

She probably shouldn’t be butting in, but Kim does speak up in the silence that follows Trini’s statement. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, there’s just something I overheard earlier. It got me thinking.”

“Overheard?” Trini asks.

Whatever’s going on, Kim at least knows she wasn’t the one to fuck up. She made sure not to say _anything_ , even when it was just the two of them, that hinted at them being anything but friends. Which isn’t really the point, but it makes her feel a little bit better about this potentially terrible situation.

The only thing Kim can think of is that it had to have been Jackson and Dante. And if it was them, she’s hoping it wasn’t on purpose.

June gives Trini a pointed look, and then shifts her gaze to the other side of the table. For a second Kim thinks she’s looking directly at her, and she freaks out just a little before realizing that’s not the case. June’s looking at _Tommy_.

“You think I’m dating _Tommy_?”

Tommy looks just as shocked, but ends up turning to Trini to say, “Hey, don’t sound so offended. What’s wrong with me?”

Trini’s too confused to even react to that, so she just keeps her attention on her mother. “What did you overhear?”

June looks at Jackson and Dante this time. So… Kim was half right.

“It wasn’t us!” Dante says.

But at the same time, Jackson’s saying, “See! We _knew_ you liked her.”

Kimberly glances at Zack, wondering if she just missed something, but he doesn’t seem to know what’s going on either.

“Mom,” Trini says. “No. What _exactly_ did you hear?”

“The boys were talking about Tommy, and about someone being interested in you, and then I heard something about _girlfriends_. I connected the dots.”

Trini turns to her brothers. “ _Why_ do you think Tommy likes me?”

“Because she does!”

“She told us!”

Trini, now much more confused, looks at Tommy.

“Oh my god. No, I did not.” Tommy shakes her head.

“Yes you did!” Jackson says. “You were freaking out.”

“I was not.”

“But you were.”

“I only started freaking out when you wouldn’t listen to me.”

“But you got defensive!”

“ _Because you wouldn’t stop asking me questions_.”

Jackson sits back in his seat. “A likely story.”

“Jesus--” Tommy starts to say, but she stops herself. Then she looks around the table before pulling her phone out of her pocket. But it’s got one of those pocket things that hold money or an ID, and _that’s_ what it looks like she’s going for. She pulls out a five dollar bill and tosses it onto the table. “I don’t have any ones on me. But this is for the swear jar, because I have no idea what the _fuck_ is going on. And I seriously need some answers or for this to get a little less chaotic.”

With everyone pretty much too stunned to say anything, Trini takes the opportunity to say, “In case it wasn’t clear, I’m not dating Tommy.”

“I don’t know,” her mother says, taking a deep breath and shaking her head. “Clearly there’s something going on here. One of you has a girlfriend.”

A moment of silence passes, and then Zack mutters, “Well, it’s not me.”

Trini and Tommy both look like they’re about to have some sort of break down. And then Trini looks at Kimberly. But Kim can’t tell what kind of look it is. If it’s just _help_ , or if it’s _we have to tell her now_.

Instead of really thinking it through, she just acts on impulse again. Since that’s what she does best.

Actually, now that she’s thinking about it, her impulsiveness has almost always gotten her into some sort of trouble.

Oh well.

“I’m dating Tommy.” She doesn’t even sound fully convinced when she says it. It’s pretty close to sounding like a question.

“Oh, for fucks sake.” Tommy leans against the table, covering her face with her hands.

“Wh-” Dante gets cut off by Trini kicking him under the table.

Zack isn’t saying anything, but he _is_ smiling and enjoying this turn of events way too much.

Was that a mistake? Kim’s leaning towards _probably_ ; doing this might come back to bite her in the ass later. She didn’t need to say she was dating _Tommy_ . She just needed to say she had a _girlfriend_.

Once everyone processes _that_ , the questions start up again. The most notable one being, _why did they hide it?_

It comes down to Kim saying they already get enough hate at school, so keeping it between them was just what they were used to. People react to Jason, Billy, and Zack in a different way than they would to the two of them. She’s pretty much just throwing out whatever pops into her head and hoping it’s convincing enough.

“I _thought_ I noticed you two holding hands when you walked in here,” Trini’s father says.

Trini immediately turns to Kim with a questioning look, but there isn’t really a way they can communicate across the table like this. And Kim isn’t going to _try_ anything either, so Trini will just have to be patient.

“Uh, yeah,” Tommy says.

“Well, you can hold hands with anyone.” Zack gestures across the table. “Right, T?”

“Yes?”

Zack shrugs. “That’s just Kim’s thing. She loves holding hands with all of us.”

Hand holding is her _thing_ now? Okay.

“Well…” June says, still a little shaken up. “That’s nice. So it’s the two of you. And then the _three_ of you.”

“Yep. All of my friends are super into each other. It’s great.” Trini’s tone is flat.

Her father smiles. “You’re the sixth wheel.”

“Yeah… That’s a great way to word it.”

Her mother is still giving her a weird look, but no one comments on it. After whatever  _that_ was, they don't need to start up more confusion and chaos. So they wrap things up before another argument or tense conversation can take place. And it works. The night does end without anything else going wrong.

Through a combination of subject changes, careful topic navigation, and an effort from Trini’s mother to not behave terribly towards any of them, they managed to get through the night without hitting any of the _big things_ some of them were worried about. They each have parts of their past—and present—that they’d rather not have dragged out onto the dinner table. Touchy subjects that are hard to avoid.

But, aside from that one lie and whatever was happening with Tommy’s coin, everything's fine.

 

\---

 

***Long Drawn Out Sigh***

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | toliver | it’skimberly! | soft mood]**

**lil z:** well

 **lil z:** that happened

 **billyc:** How did it go? From what I could feel through the link, it felt like a lot happened tonight.

 **soft mood:** not bad, but not good either

 **lil z:** here’s what we learned

 **lil z:** t’s brothers are w i l d and kind of suck at being discrete

 **lil z:** t’s mom asks a lot of questions

 **lil z:** dad jokes

 **lil z:** t is suddenly dating tommy? kimberly who?

 **lil z:** tommy throws $5 at t’s family just to say “fuck”

 **lil z:** but no, kim’s actually dating tommy now?? whomst??

 **lil z:** kim stirred up a whole mess of a lie

 **lil z:** i still don’t know what’s happening

 **goldenboi:** Is context going to clear this up at all?

 **it’skimberly!:** It was chaotic

 **it’skimberly!:** I had to do something

 **soft mood:** u may have jumped the gun a bit

 **it’skimberly!:** Look, if I hadn’t said anything, it just would’ve gotten worse. Your mom was determined to find out some sort of gossip.

 **soft mood:** ur probably right

 **soft mood:** maybe it would’ve been easier to tell her the truth

 **it’skimberly!:** I mean

 **it’skimberly!:** We still can

 **soft mood:** but at what cost

 **goldenboi:** So that’s a no on the context then?

 **lil z:** context doesn’t make it any less crazy

 **lil z:** but i’ll fill u and b in later

 **billyc:** Tommy, are you okay?

 **toliver:** I don’t know?

 **toliver:** That was a lot

 **toliver:** You guys remember when I said all I wanted was to stay out of the spotlight?

 **it’skimberly!:** Yeah

 **toliver:** Yeah

 **toliver:** That didn’t happen

 **soft mood:** if it makes u feel any better I think my family like… approves of all of u or w/e

 **it’skimberly!:** So it wasn’t a disaster!

 **billyc:** That’s good!

 **lil z:** power of positive thinking motherfuckers

 **soft mood:** well, yeah, but my mom did say smth like “they all seem nice… But I didn’t appreciate the f word being said at the table in front of your brothers. Twice.”

 **soft mood:** so

 **toliver:** Yeah well

 **soft mood:** I did say “at least she used the swear jar” but she just glared at me

 **toliver:** Hey, I threw out a 5. I more than doubled what I should’ve owed

 **lil z:** wait ur mom actually kept the money

 **soft mood:** oh yeah. Tommy found the jar and put the money in it before u all left

 **soft mood:** she doesn’t hate you though, so I’d say tonight was a success. More or less

 **lil z:** it might not be a success when u tell her the truth tho

 **soft mood:** don’t say that

 **lil z:** don’t say the truth?

 **lil z:** u can’t stop me

 **goldenboi:** So Tommy just gave you $5 to swear in your house

 **soft mood:** yeah

 **toliver:** It seemed necessary in the moment

 **lil z:** having regerts?

 **toliver:** Next time I try to use my money like that someone stop me

 **it’skimberly!:** The sacrifices you make to swear in front of people u don’t know

 **toliver:** Honestly

 **soft mood:** I can give u a $5 bill back

 **toliver:** No that’s ok I just want to take a moment of silence for my money management skills

 **soft mood:** I kind of owe the swear jar anyway

 **lil z:** what do u normally use ur money for

 **toliver:** The vending machine at school

 **toliver:** My parents give me money to buy food for lunch every month tho so I’m fine

 **billyc:** But it’s the beginning of the month now. Wouldn’t you have just been paid?

 **toliver:** It was just five dollars

 **toliver:** I know how to work the food at school, it’s chill

 **lil z:** there’s a way to work the system as long as u know the tricks

 **toliver:** And I know the tricks

 **lil z:** t u should make cards for “1 free swear in my house”

 **lil z:** i think every guest should have one pass

 **soft mood:** or you could just not come back to my house

 **lil z:** ...that also works

 **soft mood:** I need to sleep

 **it’skimberly!:** Same

 **toliver:** Double same

 **lil z:** good idea. sleep off ur nerves

 **goldenboi:** Wait a second. You said Trini’s parents think Tommy and Kim are dating now?

 **billyc:** Yeah, I’m confused about that too

 **lil z:** ok i’ll explain everything in our gc

 **lil z:** hop on over, we’ll leave the girls to sleep

 

**Punch Your Problems**

**[toliver | it’skimberly!]**

**it'skimberly!:** You never mentioned your coin after dinner started. Did anything else weird happen?

 **toliver:** Aside from the entirety of this night, no

 **toliver:** Idk what’s going on

 **it'skimberly!:** I think it’s a good sign

 **toliver:** I sure hope it is

 **toliver:** It’d be cool if y’all didn’t have to be afraid of me anymore

 **it'skimberly!:** We aren’t afraid of you

 **toliver:** Uh huh

 **it'skimberly!:** We aren’t *all* afraid of you

 **toliver:** Well I guess a girl can dream

 **it'skimberly!:** For this to go well?

 **toliver:** Yeah

 **toliver:** Surviving. Staying myself. Getting rid of this space bitch forever. And actually having friends

 **toliver:** That’d be dope

 

\---

 

They don’t get the opportunity to really _talk_ about what happened at dinner until lunch at school the next day. And even then they aren’t quite sure of what to say about it.

So the big talk that Trini needs to have with Kim doesn’t happen until they’re halfway through Bio—and that’s only because they partnered up for the assignment and finished their work early.

Trini lets a good amount of suspense build up before she finally breaks the ice and addresses the issue. “Kim. What the hell happened last night?”

Kim shrugs. “Everyone was freaking out. I had to do something.”

“Maybe something other than _that_ ,” she says, eyes wide.

“You gave me a _look_.”

“How exactly did that look say _pretend you’re Tommy’s girlfriend_?”

“I’m sorry. What were you _trying_ to get across within _five seconds_ of nonverbal panic?”

Trini pauses and then says, “ _Help_.”

“You think I didn’t help?”

“No. You _did_ …” she says reluctantly.

Kim raises her eyebrows. “So why are you mad at me?”

“I’m not.”

Kim isn’t too sure about that, but she’ll take it for now. And mad or not, she isn’t sure of what else she could have done. “Did you want me to tell her the truth? Because I thought you’d want to do that yourself.”

“It would probably go better if it came from me, yeah.”

“ _Maybe_ I could’ve convinced her that she was overthinking it and your brothers have a very active imagination, but that seems like a bit of a stretch. And, you know. Hindsight’s always twenty-twenty.”

Maybe it isn’t that bad. The only real trouble this is going to cause is needing to tell Trini’s mom the truth. Unless the wait long enough, stage a break up for Kim and Tommy, wait a little longer and _then_ say they’re dating.

But that might be a little excessive.

“You and Tommy were holding hands before dinner?” Trini says.

“Oh, right.”

“So that did happen. My dad didn’t make that up or see it wrong.”

“We weren’t _actually_ holding hands. Her coin was being weird, so she was trying to hand it over without being obvious about it.”

“Oh… What kind of weird?”

Kim shrugs. “It got really hot. Something similar happened back when we were first getting our powers. You weren’t there when it happened because I think you might’ve ditched school, but me and Jason and Billy had our coins _on_ the lunch line and it made everything, like, boil and melt and explode.”

Trini blinks, pausing to process. “And she had that in her pocket at my dinner table?”

“Yeah.”

How different would things have been if their meal suddenly exploded halfway through the night?

“Are you wanting to tell your mom about us _now_?”

That would make the most sense. If _lying_ is what they _don’t_ want to be doing. “Maybe. I actually kind of feel bad about lying to her like that. She’s trying to be open and stuff, and…”

“And she doesn’t hate me. So that’s a good sign.”

It _might_ be a good sign.

“...Or should I expect to have Tommy on my arm any time I go over to your house now?”

“No… I don’t know. I don’t think you’re going to be around my mom for that long any time soon. You shouldn’t need to worry about it,” Trini says. “ _But_ … after you guys left my mom came up to me and said, _‘Don’t take this the wrong way. But I’m relieved to know that you aren’t hiding a relationship behind our backs.’_ So maybe keeping this quiet for a little while longer might be a good idea.”

Kim shrugs. “This whole thing is up to you, Trini. It’s your family.”

Yeah, but everything was so much _easier_ back when her parents had no idea who any of her friends were.

She isn’t thinking clearly enough to make that decision right now anyway. There are way more important things that have recently come up that they need to deal with.

And now Kim’s getting distracted by the smudged sharpie on Trini’s desk, so they need another topic change.

“Why do my brothers think Tommy likes me?”

“Uh…” Kim looks up. “What?”

“They seemed pretty convinced of it at dinner. So convinced, that my _mom_ thought the same thing.”

“I don’t know. Do you believe them?”

Her brothers are… _a lot_ , but they don’t usually make things up like that. Then again, Trini hasn’t had many people over for them to cause trouble with. So maybe they are that chaotic. “They said Tommy _told them_. That doesn’t sound like something she would do. But I don’t know why Jackson would insist that she did, either.”

Kim sits back in her seat, gesturing at Trini’s backpack—or, more likely, her phone _in_ the backpack. “Why don’t you ask _her_ what happened?”

“Are you kidding? If it’s true, do you think she’d actually tell me?”

She rolls her eyes. “Fine. I’ll ask her.”

“No, you can’t do it either.”

“Why not?”

Isn’t it obvious? “Because you’re my girlfriend. She wouldn’t tell _you_ if she was into me.”

“ _Ohmygod_. Alright. I’ll ask Zack to talk to her.”

Trini thinks it over for a moment. “Okay. That might work.”

“So what if it’s true?” Kim’s being awfully nonchalant about this. It’s a little unsettling.

“Do you think it is?”

“Honestly?” Kim says. “No. Either way, I don’t think it matters. Tommy doesn’t want to cause any more trouble for us.”

That may be true. But sometimes you need more than just good intentions for things to work out.

“But I know that you don’t have the same relationship with her that I do. Or Zack and Jason. You and Billy have history with that coin that the rest of us don’t. And he’s having an easier time separating Tommy from Rita than you are.”

She does see her as a member of the team now, though. And as a friend. That’s progress. “It isn’t as bad as it used to be. I _know_ her now. But… That coin is still…”

“If Tommy does have feelings for you… What is it that’s got you so on edge? Is it just that it’d make things awkward in the group? Because you don’t feel the same way and the rest of us are already together?” she asks. “Or is it because you still see Rita when she looks at you?”

Class ends before Trini can come up with an answer.

 

\---

 

**Power Rangers**

**@PwrRangers**

Instagram: @realpwrrngrs

the others found out

we all run this now

**Angel Grove, CA**

 

**Art Ho™ @EmFromArt7**

A) I love that the attacks have died down

B) Super wish Krispy Kreme would be done and open already

**Art Ho™ @EmFromArt7**

C) I get that it’s quiet but where do @PwrRangers go when there’s no danger?

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @EmFromArt7_

We train so we’ll be prepared in case something does happen --Red

 

**Pizza Pls @bipride_wonthide**

Hey @PwrRangers do you think the town is safe now? Or do you expect more attacks?

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @bipride_wonthide_

No clue!

Also, sweet handle! --Pink

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @bipride_wonthide_

We’ll keep you posted. It’s best to be on guard. --Red

**Black Ranger @pugs88**

_Replying to @PwrRangers_

ayyy we’re getting them all to respond now

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @pugs88_

Yeah, we finally linked all of our devices together! --Blue

**Black Ranger @pugs88**

_Replying to @PwrRangers_

sweet!!!

 

**Power Rangers (Fans) @powerrangers**

Black Ranger, @PwrRangers Do you have any regrets now that you know the others can see everything on the account? -L

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @powerrangers_

no regerts -black

 

**Art Ho™ @EmFromArt7**

Any comment on that video w yellow freezing up? @PwrRangers

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @EmFromArt7_

The heat of battle can get pretty chaotic --Red

**Ya Boy #16 @bballtiger16**

_Replying to @PwrRangers_

It looked like there was a green one of u

**Ya Boy #16 @bballtiger16**

_Replying to @PwrRangers @bballtiger16_

Not like the green woman w the gold monster, but a ranger

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @bballtiger16_

ah what keen senses u have

**Ya Boy #16 @bballtiger16**

_Replying to @PwrRangers_

?????

 

**Black Ranger @pugs88**

Yo yellow @PwrRangers do u have anything to say?

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @pugs88_

no --y

 

**Power Rangers (Fans) @powerrangers**

So is there or isn’t there a sixth ranger? @PwrRangers -E

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @powerrangers_

Is there? --Pink

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @powerrangers_

isn’t there? --black

**Art Ho™ @EmFromArt7**

_Replying to @PwrRangers_

Pink and black aren’t going to answer any of our q’s seriously

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @EmFromArt7_

Not true. We can be serious. --Pink

**Black Ranger @pugs88**

_Replying to @PwrRangers_

...they’re stronger together

 

**Ahhhhh @overwhoa**

Should we revisit the theory that it’s the rangers bringing all the evil to town in the first place?

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @overwhoa_

Please don’t --Red

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @overwhoa @PwrRangers_

no way, conspiracy theories let’s goooooooo --black

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @overwhoa @PwrRangers_

Or maybe it’s the evil that brought us to Angel Grove --Blue

**Dat Boi @eric420**

_Replying to @PwrRangers_

maybe the real evil is the friends we made along the way

**Tommy O. @toliver**

_Replying to @eric420_

That’s dark

**Ahhhhh @overwhoa**

_Replying to @PwrRangers_

Anyway. How do we know we can trust you?

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @overwhoa_

we literally saved your lives what more do you want --y

**Ahhhhh @overwhoa**

_Replying to @PwrRangers_

Idk maybe answers for who the hell you guys are

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @overwhoa_

buddy, even we don’t know the answer to that --black

**Art Ho™ @EmFromArt7**

_Replying to @PwrRangers_

What does that mean???????

 

**Power Rangers (Fans) @powerrangers**

Your suits are really cool. Is it hard to get them on?? @PwrRangers --H

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @powerrangers_

Actually how we get them on is pretty cool --Blue

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @powerrangers_

we don’t. we are the suits. the suits are us. we are one. --black

**Power Rangers @PwrRangers**

_Replying to @powerrangers_

That’s not true, but it is pretty complicated. Unfortunately it isn’t something we can share with the public.  But trust me, it’s really cool! --Blue

 

\---

 

“The public is really trying to get in touch with us,” Billy says as the five of them find seats around the unlit bonfire. “The _Angel Grove News_ Twitter has been trying to set up an interview with us. I mean, the Rangers. Not us as civilians.”

“You haven’t responded, have you?” Kim asks, and Billy shakes his head.

“I wanted to talk to you guys about it first. I don’t know if we’re allowed to do something like that even if we are in our suits. Are we? Should we ask Zordon?”

Trini shakes her head. “I vote no on mentioning anything about this to Zordon.”

“He hasn’t exactly been helpful lately,” Jason says.

Kimberly rolls her eyes. “Zordon hasn’t been helpful _at all_. It isn’t just lately.”

“That’s… probably true.”

“Where’s the harm in talking to the news? We already talk to everyone on Twitter.” Zack, instead of taking a normal seat like the others, just sits right on the ground.

“Talking to them means whatever we say is going to be seen by _everyone_ . How many of our parents would be paying attention to the _Power Rangers_ Twitter account? How many of them would pay attention to the news or the paper?” Jason shrugs. “And if this were in person, we wouldn’t be able to edit or take back anything we might accidentally say. It’s too risky right now.”

“Alright. So we don’t do it.”

“Right.”

Billy nods, looking back and forth at Jason and Zack. “Okay. We _don’t_ want to talk to them.”

“Exactly.”

At least, that’s the plan for now. They might have to come back to it later. Like, _way_ later.

“So… Should we talk about Tommy now?”

Trini nods. “Probably. But what are we supposed to talk about? We still don’t know anything.”

“She said she was starting to morph, right? That has to mean something.”

“It means we just have to wait for this _excess magic_ to wear itself out. I don’t think there’s anything else we can do,” Kim says. “Except maybe just be her friend.”

“You really think that’s helping?”

Kim sighs, crossing her arms. “Maybe not with the coin, but it’s helping her. I thought we already covered this. How much would it suck to go through something like _that_ alone?”

Jason shakes his head. “We don’t have a problem with being her friend, Kim.”

“I didn’t say it was a problem. Just that it’s important. I mean, all of us know what it’s like to feel alone. Tommy already knows what it’s like to feel alone. But we have each other now, and we need to make sure she knows she has us too.”

“Do you think she _doesn’t_ know that?” Zack asks. “Or you think she’s, like, doubting our friendship?”

“When she listed off how she wanted things to work out, she said she wanted to survive, stay herself, get rid of Rita, and ‘actually have friends.’ It was over text, so I don’t think she wanted me to take it too seriously, but come on.” She shakes her head.

They spend a moment just looking at each other, no one immediately having anything to say. They talk about being Rangers all the time. And they’ve had several conversations about Tommy and the evil that’s stuck in her power coin. But recently the five of them haven’t really talked about how Tommy--not as a Ranger, just as herself--fits into their group.

Trini speaks up first. “Look, I know I haven’t exactly been Tommy’s biggest fan… But I do think Kim’s right.”

Zack nods. “Same.”

“Me too,” Billy adds.

“Yeah, so do I,” Jason says. “So we agree--”

“Wait hold on.” Kim holds a hand out to stop him. “All four of you are saying I’m right at the same time, I need to let this sink in for a minute.”

Trini sighs, shaking her head.

Jason crosses his arms. “You’re absolutely ridiculous. You know that?”

“Yes,” Kim says, and then she pauses. “Okay, you can continue. I’m good now.”

“We’re in agreement. Still, we need to be ready in case things get worse before they get better. I know we’ve been taking Tommy down into the ship because being near the grid seems to be helping. But we need to do some training without her around. If she’s retaining how we fight with each other, that could put us at a disadvantage in the future.”

It makes sense, so they agree to it. But it’s in the back of their minds that they should also be careful with how they go about it. Tommy would understand them needing to be down there on their own for a bit. But it also might sound like they’re telling her to fuck off, so. There’s gotta be a balance.

 

\---

 

***Long Drawn Out Sigh***

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | toliver | it’skimberly! | lil t]**

**lil z:** guys i just found the craziest thing

 **lil t:** is it Kim’s impulse control?

 **lil t:** what the hell zack

 **lil t:** when did u get my phone to change my name??

 **it’skimberly!:** Look at that. Retroactive karma.

 

 **lil t** changed their name to **trini**

 

 **lil z:** it was fun while it lasted

 **lil z:** anyway, no

 **lil z:** it’s a sexual identity generator

 **goldenboi:** What does that mean

 **lil z:** here I’ll send the link

 **lil z:** [ **_link_ ** ]

 **lil z:** first one u get is now who u are

 **lil z:** i’ve only seen what other ppl have gotten. i wanted to wait to experience it together before i tried it

 **goldenboi:** DC comics bisexual?

 **lil z:** see it’s fun!

 **billyc:** I prefer Marvel, but it’s okay if you like DC, Jason

 **goldenboi:** thanks Billy

 **billyc:** Okay I’ll try it now

 **billyc:** “Unlicensed queer”

 **billyc:** It’s true. I don’t drive.

 **lil z:** look at how accurate this thing is already being

 **lil z:** it’s like magic

 **it’skimberly!:** So how about u go next then

 **lil z:** i will

 **lil z:** bisexual bisexual

 **trini:** moon moon

 **lil z:** kim I think I got urs by accident

 **lil z:** if u combine bi and bi does that make pan

 **billyc:** I don’t think that’s how it works

 **it’skimberly!:** No, that’s not how it works

 **lil z:** lmao I’m kidding hold on

 **lil z:** hovering asexual

 **lil z:** uhhhh I guess that’s closer

 **lil z:** hold on I’m not satisfied yet

 **trini:** dude you’re defeating the purpose of random generation

 **lil z:** TRY AND STOP ME

 **lil z:** muscled bi

 **lil z:** sigh

 **lil z:** kim I got yours AGAIN

 **it’skimberly!:** Weren’t u just complimenting Jason’s arms the other day

 **lil z:** yes what is ur point

 **lil z:** jason’s arms are amazing and all, but have all of you SEEN kim’s??

 **lil z:** no offense red

 **goldenboi:** Nons ramen

 **goldenboi:** Wow. **none taken

 **it’skimberly!:** Nons ramen

 **goldenboi:** That’s the new hip lingo

 **lil z:** charismatic astronaut

 **lil z:** ok there we go

 **lil z:** much better

 **trini:** nothing about that is a sexuality

 **lil z:** that’s what makes this fun!

 **lil z:** your turn t

 **trini:** department store lesbian astronaut

 **trini:** what???

 **toliver:** What’s with the astronauts

 **lil z:** aww we’re matching

 **trini:** anxious Sappho

 **trini:** see that one makes more sense

 **it’skimberly!:** Ok me now

 **it’skimberly!:** “Stealth mode princess”

 **trini:** oh my god

 **trini:** except u aren’t stealthy at all so try again

 **it’skimberly!:** Seriously

 **trini:** I can make a list of why you aren’t stealthy, but I don’t think u want me to

 **it’skimberly!: “** Shoplifting bisexual”

 **it’skimberly:** Ok I’m feeling attacked rn

 **trini:** I got klepto gay a second ago if that makes u feel better

 **it’skimberly!:** It sorta does, thanks

 **lil z:** tommy tommy Tommy TOMMY

 **toliver:** Ok chill out

 **toliver:** “big gay”

 **toliver:** True. But it’s simple and I want smth cool

 **toliver:** Oh my god

 **toliver:** “Official disaster”

 **it’skimberly:** Wow

 **toliver:** Ok yep

 

 **toliver** changed their name to **official.disaster**

 

 **lil z:** amazing

 **lil z:** so when ppl on twitter start asking us what our sexualities are again this is what we’ll tell them

 **trini:** you know, for some reason that sounds like a bad idea

 **official.disaster:** Probably because it’s a “Zack” idea

 **lil z:** well THAT is hurtful

 **lil z:** actually if it’s going to be like that, tommy do u remember when u shipped all of the power rangers together on twitter

 **official.disaster:** I... vaguely recall

 **billyc:** The first thing you sent us on Twitter was asking if any of us were hooking up or dating.

 **it’skimberly!:** You literally said you shipped “red/black/blue/pink, pink/yellow”

 **trini:** well she got it partially right

 **goldenboi:** I think I also remember you saying “suddenly I stan the power rangers?”

 **official.disaster:** What’s your point

 **lil z:** oh nothing

 **lil z:** just smth to think about

 **official.disaster:** You’re my friends now; I’d rather not think abt that anymore

 **it’skimberly!:** You know if we figure this out and you actually join us as the green ranger, ppl are going to start shipping you with us too

 **official.disaster:** Between Trini’s family and half the school, I think people have already started making assumptions. And they actually know who we are

 **lil z:** ya i’ve overheard some ppl from school talkin abt that at work

 **lil z:** those rumors get w i l d

 **official.disaster:** I’ve been paired up with all five of you at least once

 **goldenboi:** That’s… weird

 **official.disaster:** Well fuck you too

 **goldenboi:** Sorry. That’s not how I meant it

 **lil z:** would u date jace tho

 **official.disaster:** No

 **lil z:** hmm

 **official.disaster:** You know I’m gay, Zack

 **lil z:** oh right

 **official.disaster:** Like w/e tho, none of u are single I get it

 **official.disaster:** At least Kim would hypothetically date me

 **lil z:** oh true

 **lil z:** that’s high praise

 **lil z:** kim is Cool™

 **it’skimberly!:** I’d hypothetically date all of you

 **lil z:** aww

 **trini:** uh

 **trini:** hypothetically

 **it’skimberly!:** I’d *literally date Trini

 **it’skimberly!:** I **am *literally dating Trini

 **official.disaster:** Hey I’m gonna change the group name again

 

 **official.disaster** changed the group name to **AHHHHHHHHH**

 

 **trini:** oh cool

 **goldenboi:** You okay Tommy?

 **official.disaster:** Oh I’m fine

 **official.disaster:** I just think lately we’re less of a sigh and more of a scream

 **lil z:** that’s tru

 **billyc:** I’ve gotta go guys. It’s getting late.

 **lil z:** see u in the morning blue

 **trini:** ugh detention again

 **it’skimberly!:** How much time is left in the school year again?

 **lil z:** so i guess we’re postponing the rest of this convo

 **official.disaster:** What exactly are we postponing? I think we covered everything.

 **lil z:** idk i’ll think of smth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is reaching the end (and I have an outline, so I know where it's going) but I know a lot has happened, and I could've accidentally missed/forgotten some things. So if there's anything you think I should resolve or bring up again (if I haven't mentioned it recently) let me know.


	21. We Let Our Battles Choose Us

With the amount of notes that get thrown around in detention, it’s incredible that they can keep track of it all. Trini and Kimberly are having one conversation, while Zack and Tommy are having their own. Jason and Billy have one, but there’s also one with Jason, Billy, _and_ Zack. Kimberly and Zack. Trini, Kimberly, and Tommy. Tommy, Billy, and Trini. There might be one with all six of them too; it’s hard to tell.

A group chat would definitely be a better idea for all of it, but it wouldn’t be _detention_ if they weren’t going old school and passing _notes_.

It’s also kind of amazing that none of the others in the room seem to notice the folded pieces of paper flying across the room. Or, if they do, they don’t have any reaction to it.

Through all of the chaos, they manage to gather that this is both Tommy and Trini’s last day of detention. Tommy asks if she should try to get _more_ detention, but they decide that probably isn’t the best idea.

Billy’s been blowing his lunchbox up a couple of times to get himself more time, and Jason, Kim, and Zack kind of permanently have to go. Trini _can’t_ get into anymore trouble; not with her parents paying so much attention to her life now. And, honestly, Trini’s looking forward to sleeping in on Saturdays again.

Zack tells them to enjoy their freedom, tacking on a, _“You lucky motherfuckers,”_ to punctuate his point.

Someone also asks Tommy if she ever figured out what happened with that “Brad” guy. The whole situation that lead to her coin falling out in the open. Nothing too eventful came of it. She told him to fuck off when he tried approaching her again, and that was it.

And then Zack starts up his own conversation with Jason, just because of a thought that randomly popped into his head.

**_“Hey J, something we never addressed? When we first saw Tommy as a ranger, she was fully morphed. And then after T saw her, T started to lose her armor? And then we all had trouble morphing?_ **

**_What the hell is up w/ that?”_ **

_“I don’t know. Maybe because it was new, Rita’s essence was stronger and it let her go ranger mode. And then she started to connect to the link, but w Rita still in the coin there was a disconnect._

_And we’re starting to morph now because we’re closer?”_

**_“Yeah Kim swears this thing is starting to wear itself out. She keeps saying Tommy’s gotta be Tommy again soon”_ **

_“She_ _is_ _starting to morph_ ~~_consio_~~ _consciously. So that probably is a good sign.“_

**_“Should we try to help her??”_ **

_“Maybe not yet. We don’t know if the evil is totally gone.”_

**_“What if helping her connect is getting rid of the Rita stuff??”_ **

_“Ugh. I don’t know. There’s no way to know how to do this. We’ll have to take some sort of risk either way.”_

**_“Ughguhguhgughhhghhu”_ **

_“Did u just hand-write a keysmash?”_

**_“Sorta, I guess._ **

**_What if we have a movie night or smth. To bond some more, but it’s casual so it isn’t a whole lot of pressure”_ **

_“I guess we can bring it up w/ the others”_

**_“Yeah boyyyyy!!!”_ **

_“You have so much energy, dude”_

**_“YEAHHH”_ **

 

\---

 

They plan out the movie night for next Saturday, after the remaining four rangers get done with detention. That day doesn’t work for Billy’s place, and they want to save Jason’s for the _Land Before Time_ continuation, so it’ll have to be at Kim’s.

The next question that comes up is if it should be a regular hang out, or if it’s going to be a sleepover.

Staying the night isn’t a problem for Jason or Tommy. Billy’s mom is going to call him that night and the next morning and he’s good to go, and then Zack says he might need to leave around midnight to check on his mom. It might be a little more difficult for Trini to get away with, but she wants to _try_ telling the truth. Lying and sneaking around didn’t work out too well last time.

When she brings it up, her mom’s first comment is, “You’re actually asking this time?”

She has to hold back an eye roll. (And a smartass comment.) “Yeah.”

Her mother pauses, thinking it over. “Everyone’s staying at her house?”

She nods.

“Will her parents be home?”

“Yes,” she says. And she gets why her mom is asking so many questions. It’d be weirder if she weren’t. But… how crazy does she think this is supposed to get? “It’s just a movie night.”

“So I can _call_ her parents and get confirmation for all of this?”

“Yeah.”

There’s still that look on her face; like she doesn’t fully believe or understand the plan. “Is it not odd… with most of you dating each other?”

Okay, that is a good point.

“It’s only weird if we make it weird. And we won’t. We’re like all best friends, Mom. This is a night about friendship, not being all couple-y.” It’s probably the cheesiest thing she’s ever said, but it gets her point across.

“But you’re teenagers.”

“Yeah… Could you just call Kim’s parents, and _then_ make your decision?”

“Alright. Give me their number, and I’ll give them a call when I get the time.”

Trini does get the number from Kim, but the situation is still a little more complicated than just that. Kim’s parents have to act like she’s dating Tommy, because Trini’s mom is absolutely going to make a comment about it when she talks to them. Kimberly isn’t thrilled that she has to fill her parents in, but gives in when Trini reminds her that she got herself into this mess in the first place.

Kimberly’s parents are… confused when she tells them to pretend that she’s dating Tommy. Mostly because they haven’t even _met_ Tommy yet. She tries to explain what happened and why it matters without being _too_ truthful, but she ends up having to the pull the _“It’ll help me”_ card. She says that she needs this movie night because things have been weird lately. Spending time with her friends will be good for her. They decide to go with it after that.

 

\---

 

The following Monday passes by pretty averagely. At least, that’s what it seems like--every time someone says _things are going normally for once_ , that’s a signal to the universe to fuck things up somehow. But for now, the six of them are at lunch doing everything they can to _not_ focus on the serious stuff going on in their lives.

“Yo Kim,” Zack says, taking control of the conversation after they hit a bit of a lull. “How are things going with your family?”

“You mean _other_ than me convincing them to pretend I’m dating Tommy so they can talk to Trini’s mom and let her know that this movie night is going to be fine. _Just_ so Trini can come over to my house with permission?”

“Uh… Yeah.”

Kimberly shrugs. “Uneventful.”

“Are you guys still talking. Like, on a normal basis?”

“We were never _not_ talking. But they’re mostly only home on the weekends because they work late a lot, so I don’t _see_ them too often,” Kim says. She’s been finding herself alone a lot more often now. Things were different back when she’d stay out all night, or invite her cheer friends over twenty-four seven. “We talk when we can. It’s not like we’re ignoring each other.”

Zack nods, pausing to steal a few of Jason’s chips. “Okay, random question. Are you two--trimberly, the _actual_ couple--gonna come out to the public? Or to the school?”

Kim glances at Trini for a second. “Why?”

“I dunno.” He shrugs. “You aren’t doing much to keep it on the DL. Aside from not telling anyone, and I guess you aren’t kissing in the halls or anything. I’m just wondering. Like, is that something you’re gonna do?”

“Well… It’d be nice to not be hiding it,” Kim says. “What do you think, T?”

“I think it’ll go terribly,” Trini responds simply. “But things weren’t exactly going well to begin with, so… I guess we could? I don’t know _how_ we would do it. We can’t walk into school holding hands like Jason and Billy; that won’t be a statement for us.”

“Are we saying social media is out of the question?” Zack asks.

“...We’re saying it’s probably best that we avoid it.” Trini shakes her head. “I don’t know. I think subtlety might be key here.”

Zack leans forward against the table. “Like, you’ll say yes if anyone asks, and you’ll stop holding back with being all over each other? You think people will just get the picture?”

“We have self control, Zack. We aren’t _all over each other_ even when we aren’t _in public_.”

“Mm… debatable.”

Trini rolls her eyes. “But, yeah. That might be the best way to avoid something dramatic happening. We don’t need anymore trouble than we already have.”

“So that’s what we’re doing then?” Kim asks.

“I… yeah, I guess. We can feel it out.”

“Yo, think of it this way,” Zack says. “You’ll be one step closer to being comfortable with telling your mom.”

“Uh… I don’t know about that, but okay.”

It shouldn’t go _too_ terribly. The six of them are already treated like the official outcasts of Angel Grove, and the rumor that they’re _all_ dating each other has stayed pretty strong. If anything, it’ll make them—Trini and Kim—feel better about not hiding anymore.

And maybe it _will_ help Trini warm up to telling her parents. There’s been a consistent back and forth ever since that dinner—wondering if they should’ve told the truth, or if they should own up and come out with it _now_. Or, the option they keep falling back on, letting the chaos settle before they stir up any more familial drama.

“Hey, Jason?” Billy says, breaking the groups silence again. “How are things going with your dad? Because I know you said seeing him has felt tense, and that you didn’t know what that meant for your family. But you said that a week ago, and Zack thinks it’s still bothering you a lot.”

All of them—aside from Billy—glance at Zack, and he only shrugs in response. “What? I _do_.”

Jason sighs, shaking his head. “Things… aren’t going? He isn’t home a lot, and I haven’t tried talking to him when he is. I don’t know if I _want_ to talk to him, honestly. Things with him… they’re weird. I just… I don’t know.”

“Oh,” Billy says. And he pauses like he’s thinking about something, but Jason continues before he can get anything else out.

“But _that_ doesn’t matter. You guys make me happy.” He motions towards Billy and Zack with one hand. “And I think I’m gonna talk to Pearl and my mom soon about all of that. Start with me being bi, and then… ease into telling them that I already have _two_ boyfriends.”

“Aw, that’s dope, J,” Zack says, putting a hand over his heart.

Billy nods, smiling.

“You three are adorable,” Kim says, also smiling.

“Oh! And…” Billy continues, barely pausing after Kimberly’s comment. “Zack are you still the team leader right now?”

Zack blinks, as if he’s a little caught off guard by the question. Or maybe he just needs to adjust to the subject shift. “Oh, damn… I don’t know.”

He turns to Jason, then the three girls on the other side of the table, and then back to Billy. Being a leader is all about decision making, right?

“I’m gonna say _yes_.”

“Okay, cool,” Billy says enthusiastically. “Then I have some things about the team and the base that I want to talk to you about later. I just didn’t know if I still needed to go to you about it, or if Jason was in charge again. But, I guess Jason you can still be there too. It isn’t a secret, but explaining it might get technical, so I thought it would be better to bring it up with one person instead of the entire group.”

“Sure, we can get into it after class, buddy.”

Billy nods in response, already looking like he’s coming up with several different things to talk about when they _do_ meet up again later.

Zack has no idea what they’re going to be talking about, but he might need to bring some paper to take notes. Just in case.

 

\---

 

**AHHHHHHHHH**

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | official.disaster | it’skimberly! | trini]**

**goldenboi:** Alright, who’s getting into a fight rn?

 **it’skimberly!:** What are you talking about?

 **goldenboi:** There’s a fight in the science wing

 **billyc:** Do any of us have Science this period?

 **billyc:** Tommy and I are in Math, so it isn’t us.

 **it’skimberly!:** Nope

 **goldenboi:** I do, but that’s how I know the fight is happening

 **lil z:** i’m not even at school anymore

 **lil z:** left 4 work

 **trini:** it isn’t me either

 **it’skimberly!:** Wow. There’s a fight… and none of us are in it?

 **lil z:** omg is there a 7th ranger

 **trini:** you know fights aren’t that uncommon right

 **trini:** you don’t need superpowers to start a fight

 **lil z:** i still want to know what’s going on

 **goldenboi:** There are two guys?

 **lil z:** that narrows it down. i know exactly who it is

 **billyc:** Who is it?

 **lil z:** sorry that was sarcasm b

 **billyc:** Oh, gotcha

 **goldenboi:** A junior and a senior

 **goldenboi:** can’t get their names

 **goldenboi:** one is trying to defend a girl’s honor? Or something?

 **goldenboi:** I have limited sources, idk what’s going on

 **billyc:** Maybe we’ll find out later

 **it’skimberly!:** Yeah, we should probably get back to class so the rest of us don’t get in anymore trouble

 **trini:** ugh. Responsibilty

 **goldenboi:** I’ll let you know if I hear anymore about it

 

\---

 

It’s been a slow day, so all Zack has to do at the moment is wipe down the counter. Technically, he doesn’t even _have_ to do _that_ , but it’s better than nothing. The door doesn’t have a bell, so he’s learned to keep an eye on the entrance without putting too much thought into it. With the next two people he spots walking in, he has to double take. It isn’t often that he gets visitors while he’s at work, so seeing Trini and Kimberly heading towards the counter is pleasantly surprising.

They both already see him, so he just has to gasp at a normal volume before he says, “Am I witnessing a _date_?”

“Well, we _were_ just visiting you,” Kim says, taking a seat on one of the bar stools. Trini takes one right next to her. “But we could leave if you think we’re too distracting.”

Zack shakes his head. “No! Stay.”

“I feel like I just walked backwards into the nineties…” Trini says, slowly looking around the wide open area.

“Told you it felt nostalgic.”

“Yeah…”

Zack leans forward against the counter. “So are you here to buy something?”

“I _guess_ we can,” Kim says. “What should we get? Milkshakes?”

“Or we could get smoothies.” Trini sits up a bit in her seat to look at the menu on the wall behind Zack.

Kimberly looks to her, raising her eyebrows. “If we’re going the healthy route, we should get juice. This place used to be known for juice, right? It was called _The Juice Bar_?”

“Juice?” Trini says, shaking her head. “How do you jump from milkshakes to juice? Also, how is _that_ a better choice than smoothies?”

“It’s like the house special. It was never called The _Smoothie_ Bar.”

“Wasn’t called The _Milkshake_ Bar either.”

“I’ve moved on from milkshakes. I think we should get juice now.”

“Was _juice_ a cheer thing too?”

“No, I just like juice. Is that weird?”

As much as Zack is enjoying this back and forth, he can’t spend _too_ long watching them. “How many times are you guys gonna say _juice_ in this one conversation?”

Kim turns to Zack, holding a hand out towards him. “Why don’t you recommend us something. ‘Cause I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere on our own.”

“The Angel Grove Special,” he says.

Trini stares at him for a moment. “What the fuck is that?”

“Magic.” He smiles.

“That’s ominous,” Kim says. “I love it. We’ll get two.”

Zack gives the two a look, raising his eyebrows. “Kim’s buying? So this _is_ a date.”

“So when I bought you doughnuts that one time, was that a date too?”

He pauses before turning to go make the _Angel Grove Specials_. “Touché.”

Because he makes them so often—it’s called the Angel Grove _Special_ for a reason—it doesn’t take him too long to get the two prepared for the girls. Not that it matters, because when he glances back at the counter he sees that they’re already pretty distracted in their own conversation. This is _absolutely_ a date, and they _can not_ convince him otherwise.

When he’s done and places them on the counter, Trini stares at hers in confusion but slight interest, and Kim looks completely in awe. The smoothies are just… so ridiculously colorful—he even made them in glass cups so they could fully experience the magic.

They take a drink at the same time, but Trini has the first verbal reaction.

“This tastes like how a rainbow feels…”

Zack isn’t sure what a rainbow _feels_ like, but he wholeheartedly agrees. “Told you. Only the best for my favorite gays.”

Okay wait. That doesn’t work.

Whatever. When Billy, Jason, and/or Tommy come in and order an Angel Grove Special, he’ll call them his favorite gays too.

“This is the best thing I have ever tasted,” Kim says, expression dead serious. Not even a hint of a smile; Zack isn’t sure if he should be amused or scared by that. “Do you have a tip jar?”

He nods, pointing to a jar down at the other end of the counter. “Sure do.”

Zack doesn’t pay too much attention to how much Kim puts into the jar, but he definitely appreciates that she’s tipping _something_ . All he was hoping for was one of his friends to _visit_ , but now he’s witnessing a trimberly date, his friends experience the magic that is the _Angel Grove Special_ , _and_ he gets tipped for it. That makes this day pretty good in his book.

“Why don’t we come here more often?” Kimberly asks, but it doesn’t seem to be directed at anyone.

Trini shrugs, answering anyway. “The world’s kind of always in peril.”

“That sucks. _This_ should be our hangout.”

“Yeah, I guess we should stop by more often,” Trini says nonchalantly.

“Please do!” Zack interjects. “It makes me happy.”

Trini nods. “We start regularly getting these Angel Grove Specials, and this place’ll make me happy too.”

With someone else walking into the store, Zack’s attention has to go to them for a few minutes. It doesn’t take him too long, but Trini and Kimberly do get mostly through with their smoothies. And when he turns his attention back to them, Kim’s leaning against the counter giving him a weird look.

Zack raises an eyebrow at her. “What’s up?”

“I’ve gotta ask you something,” she says.

“Why are we whispering?” he asks back, lowering his voice as well.

“I need you to find out if Tommy is actually into Trini.”

Now he actually looks surprised. “Oh?”

“Oh my god. I’m not jealous, Zack. Trini’s the one who wants to know.”

“Uh…” Zack pauses, shrugging. “I guess I’ll see what I can do, but if she tells me and asks me to keep it to myself, then I will. I’m not going to spill her secrets.”

Kim slowly nods. “Okay. Yeah… Yeah, that makes sense. You’re a good friend, Z.”

“Aw, thanks.”

"But, yeah, if you  _can_ tell me..." she says, raising her eyebrows at him.

"I'll let you know."

"Thanks." Kim reaches across the counter to pat him on the shoulder.

Zack nods slowly. "Right... But has Trini considered that  _maybe_... it doesn't matter if Tommy likes her or not?"

"No, I've brought that up," she says. "It's complicated. I don't get it, but I don't have to get it. She really wants to know."

"Okay. I feel you." So he doesn't exactly  _get it_ , but he sort of gets it in some sense. That's good enough.

 

\---

 

Trini only stopped by the bathroom to find a quiet space away from the crowded hallway. This is one of the random bathrooms that isn’t used too often because the lighting sucks and the stall doors don’t have locks on them, so she was supposed to be pretty safe from someone else busting in. Unless they had the same idea as her and needed an area to calm down.

When the door opens, she’s ready to just wash her hands and leave--so it doesn’t look like she’s randomly hanging out in an empty restroom. But seeing Amanda Clark stride in makes her freeze.

This isn’t the average student’s first choice of a place to be, so seeing someone like _Amanda_ walk in has to mean she’s here for a very specific reason.

That theory is confirmed when she says, “Gomez. I thought I saw you walk in here.”

“Uh… Yeah. What do you want?” she asks carefully; too shaken up to even make a smartass comment.

Amanda holds a hand up, shaking her head. “Easy. I’m not here to be a bitch to you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Really,” she says, rolling her eyes.

Hard to believe, but she _looks_ genuine. And she isn’t flanked by any of the other cheer girls. “Then what do you want?”

“You got caught in the crossfire,” Amanda says after sighing. “Hanging out with Kim put an easy target on you, but our problems were with _her_. I’m sorry for pushing you around and screwing with your locker.”

“And by _screwing with my locker_ , you mean defacing it with slurs and dumb insults?”

“Yeah, I get it. We’re horrible people. But I’m apologizing; we took it too far.”

That is the absolute last thing Trini was expecting to hear from her. An apology. A _real_ apology.

“Are you going to accept that, or not?” Okay, so she sounds a little impatient, but it still seems real.

And it is a pretty big question. _Is_ she going to accept that apology? She doesn’t know what made Amanda want to do this, but… The fact that she _is_ apologizing… That has to mean something.

Then again, this could just be a way to lure her into a false sense of security. It might come back to bite her later.

“I’ll accept it,” she eventually says. “But you’ve gotta stop terrorizing Kim. You have every right to hate her. I get that. But tearing her down isn’t going to do anything except make you look bad too.”

That’s reasonable, right? Maybe?

“Also,” she adds. “I don’t think it’s you who’s messing with Tommy Oliver, but… leave her alone too.”

That addition does make Amanda pause for a moment, a confused look on her face. But she shakes it off and nods. “Yeah. Whatever. Okay.”

“Okay… Good.” She doesn’t know what to say. It isn’t like this is a normal conversation for her.

Amanda doesn’t stay for much longer. She nods one more time before leaving just as swiftly as she had entered.

Trini has to take an extra moment just to calm down from whatever the _fuck_ that was. Describing that as _weird_ would be an understatement.

The bathroom door opens again, and it isn’t like she _expects_ it to be Amanda again. But because things went so well just a second ago, it’s hard _not_ to think that something bad has to come to balance everything out.

It’s just Kimberly. She walks in, not exactly nonchalantly, but she isn’t rushing in either. It seems like she had a reason to come in here too. When she sees Trini, she points towards the hallway. “Did I just see Amanda leave?”

Trini nods. “Uh… yeah.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. She just… She apologized to me.”

Kim pauses. “What?”

“She walked in and said she was sorry that I got caught in the middle of things with you. And then she left.”

“Wow…”

“Yeah,” Trini says, shaking her head a bit. “Are _you_ okay?”

“What? Yeah.”

She looks confused, and maybe a little regretful. Which isn’t a bad thing, but it isn’t exactly _okay_ either. She just needs time to process a few things.

When Trini passes her on the way to the hall, she puts a hand on Kim’s shoulder and nods to the side. “Hey, we should probably be getting to class.”

She nods. “Yeah, I’m right behind you.”

 

\---

 

**AHHHHHHHHH**

**[lil z | billyc | goldenboi | official.disaster | it’skimberly! | trini]**

**trini:** there’s another fight happening rn, the fuck???

 **it’skimberly!:** It’s literally been a day. What the hell?

 **goldenboi:** It doesn’t involve any of us, right?

 **trini:** not from what I can see

 **official.disaster:** Is this like an omen?

 **official.disaster:** Or is Angel Grove just this aggressive?

 **trini:** idk, this girl just decked this guy for some reason, and he keeps being a dick so someone’s trying to hold the chick back

 **trini:** I’m hearing that the dude is one of the same ones from yesterday?

 **trini:** I heard that one was intense, how is he not suspended??

 **goldenboi:** If he’s on a sports team it’s very possible that the school gave him a light punishment. He probably just has detention.

 **it’skimberly!:** That’s true. Jace and I kind of majorly fucked up, so we aren’t the best examples. But it happens all the time.

 **trini:** that’s so dumb

 **official.disaster:** Agreed

 **lil z:** i want the deets tho

 **lil z:** why did she throw a punch? what is he saying? was it kim level punch power? did he lose a tooth???

 **lil z:** who are they??? names???

 **lil z:** this chick sounds badass?????

 **trini:** I don’t know dude

 **lil z:** disappointing :/

 **billyc:** Someone usually catches video of these fights, though

 **lil z:** true. hell yeah

 **it’skimberly!:** And if neither of them escalate things, they’re probably both going to be in detention this Saturday. We can figure out who they are.

 **billyc:** It’ll be easy to notice them if we haven’t seen them there before.

 **trini:** oh yeha

 **trini:** *yeah

 **lil z:** yeha

 **lil z:** yeehaw

 **trini:** yikes

 **trini:** southern roots are coming through

 **it’skimberly!:** Southern roots?

 **trini:** u don’t know where i’ve lived

 **it’skimberly!:** I’m starting to get the feeling that these fights are happening bc these dudes are purposely provoking other ppl to get them in trouble

 **official.disaster:** Those fuckers

 **official.disaster:** Honestly it’s like Rita’s evil is affecting everything

 **lil z:** just throw all the minorities in detention huh

 **goldenboi:** How do we know these ppl are minorities?

 **lil z:** look at the statistics, j

 **trini:** I think we’re possibly overanalyzing this

 **it’skimberly!:** Possibly

 **goldenboi:** yokes

 **goldenboi:** *yikes

 **lil z:** egg yokes, egg yolks

 **lil z:** lovin these typos today

 

\---

 

Her mother _insists_ that she has to drop Trini off herself, just so she can meet Kim’s parents face to face. It just seems completely unnecessary and overdramatic--then again, this is _Trini’s mother_ , so she shouldn’t have expected anything less. The fact that she’s allowing her to come over at all seems a little bit like a miracle. She probably shouldn’t be pushing her luck.

But she still can’t seem to stop herself from sighing and saying, “Why are you so embarrassing?”

She doesn’t say it very loud, but they are _right_ next to each other in the car. The radio is low, and June always seems to hear _everything_ anyway. It’s just one of those _mom_ things.

“Sometimes you have to make compromises. Do you want to do this or not?”

“No, I do,” Trini says. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

Jason and Billy are already in the front yard when they pull up to Kim’s house. And her mother, thankfully, thinks they’re adorable, so that seems to put her in a better mood. After they get out of the car, Trini makes her way over to wait with the boys while Kim goes inside to get her parents.

“Hey Trini!” Billy says, waving excitedly. “So can you stay overnight?”

Trini shakes her head. “My mom hasn’t decided yet. She’s in the process of making her decision and will let me know by eleven…”

“Oh. Okay.”

Jason pats her on the back. “Hey, look on the bright side. This is better than possibly getting grounded again.”

“Yeah. The bright side.”

“And you’re building trust with your family.”

She gives him an unamused look. “It sounds so sappy when you put it like that.”

By that point Kimberly’s joined them again, and it seems like she’s at least caught the tail end of their conversation.

“Alright, I think Trini’s talked about her feelings enough for now,” Kim says, putting a hand on both Trini and Jason’s shoulders. With Trini’s mom still there, she has to be careful with how affectionate she is. “Why don’t we go find something to do while we wait for _tayliver_.”

“Ugh, I can’t believe you just pulled that name out,” Trini says.

Billy smiles. “But Zack will be happy that you used one of his ship names. He’s really proud of them.”

“Exactly.” Kim nods, glancing down at Trini again. “Come on. Don’t you wanna humor your best friend?”

“Which best friend? You or Zack?”

“Yes.”

Trini only rolls her eyes in response.

June doesn’t stay much longer, leaving Trini with the statement that she’ll _text her later_ . So, either her mother is being dramatic and still taking her time on making a decision, _or_ she’s already decided and is unnecessarily dragging it out until _right before eleven_. Trini’s mostly just glad that she finally left.

They make a plan to order pizzas as soon as Tommy and Zack get there, and Kim’s parents remind them that they _will_ still be in the house, but let them have the whole living room for the night.

As far as _what_ they’re going to watch, Billy says he still wants to wait for Tommy and Zack before they make a final decision.

 

\---

 

They have a marathon of assorted superhero movies.

Highlights of the evening include criticisms, pointing out inaccuracies, expressing their awe whenever something cool happens, and then Zack occasionally saying things like:

"Me."

"Oh my god,  _me_."

"That's definitely Billy."

"Okay, that's literally Trini and Kim; you two can have the  _worst_ timing... Shut up, I know _exactly_ what I'm talking about."

" _Cough, cough_.  _Tommy_."

"Look, Jason, I'll say your name when someone on screen does something  _Jason_ -worthy. Calm down, we have all night."

[No one onscreen does anything "Jason-worthy" for the rest of their marathon.]

 

\---

 

“Oh, T!” Zack says suddenly, and then he pauses. “Both T’s. Trini and Tommy. We’ve _got_ to tell you about detention and the people from the fights.”

There wasn’t supposed to be a story from that trip; all they were expecting was to get the names of whoever was there. Other than that, they kind of already know what happened.

But they have already watched a few movies and gone through their pizzas, (and Trini was informed that she could stay the night) so it's reached the point in the night where listening to a Zack story sounds like fun.

Kimberly nods. “Yeah, tell them how _well_ that went.”

“Okay, now I’m interested,” Tommy says. “Go on.”

Zack shrugs off Kim’s implication that anything went wrong, and jumps right into the story. “So, we got to detention like we always do, and we were ready to find out who got into the fight. All we had to do was listen to the roll and look around the room to see if we recognized them. Yeah?”

There isn’t a response until enough silence has passed that they realize he’s waiting for one. Trini nods. “Oh, uh. Yeah…”

“Well that didn’t happen. We were too distracted talking to each other and listening for our own names that we _missed it_ ,” Zack says. And he can feel the judgment coming from the other two, so he adds, “Look it was weird being there without two of our buddies, okay?”

“Sure.”

“We went back and forth when detention was finally ending, because we knew we needed to act fast to _at least_ talk to this girl that we didn’t recognize--aka, it had to be the one from the fight. But we also didn’t know who to send. Like, should it be Kim? The only other girl with us? But everyone knows Kim, and we don’t know if this girl would see her as a _badass_ or a _bitch_. And really it could’ve gone either way. So who’s the next best choice?”

Trini glances at Tommy, and they both shrug. “Am I supposed to guess? ‘Cause I don’t know.”

“Doesn’t matter. I volunteered because no one knows who I am. Safest bet. So I walked up to her--she was still sitting down shoving her things into her backpack--and then she saw me and said, _‘Who the hell are you?’_ So, obviously, I said, _‘Oh, I’m Zack. I’m in here sometimes.’_ You know how it is.”

All they know right now is that Zack has a very interesting way of telling stories.

“I told her I heard about the fight but didn’t know anything about it, that I didn’t recognize her, so she was in the second fight. Right? And she said she was, so I was like, ‘Cool.’ And I told her she sounded kind of badass, but I didn’t hear much and wanted to know what happened.”

“Then what happened?”

If Zack notices the sarcasm in Trini’s tone, he doesn’t react to it. “She thought I was hitting on her. But I quickly told her that was _not_ why I was there, and said I had two boyfriends waiting for me on the other side of the room. I really was just curious. She looked behind me, but I dunno if she saw them. Anyway, then she was all, _‘Why are you talking to me?’_ ”

“But you had just told her, like twice, right?” Tommy asks, and she actually seems pretty engrossed in what he’s saying.

“Yeah, I had. But I told her again. Said I’d go ask the guy she almost fought, but that I figured her side would be more truthful. She agreed with that. But she wouldn’t tell me her name.”

Trini blinks, confused. “What? I thought that was the whole point of this story?”

“She told me the whole story, though. Someone was being a dick to her, so this guy stood up and went to ‘defend her honor’ which she did _not_ ask him to do. He went up to her the next day, expectant and saying, _‘I stood up for you yesterday’_ or whatever, and got all offended when she said she didn’t owe him shit. They went back and forth, he wouldn’t take a hint, and then he was being so obnoxious that she told him to back off or she’d break his nose. Do you wanna guess what happened next?”

“Did she break his nose?”

Zack shakes his head. “He didn’t take her seriously, so she punched him. But she _didn’t_ get to break his nose because she had someone hold her back.”

Trini nods. “That’s still pretty satisfying.”

Kimberly nods in agreement.

“I looked at the dude, and he had been looking at _us_ . So I said it looked like he was still into her? And she said, _‘Yeah, he’s an idiot,’_ ” he says. “And that was that.”

“Okay, damn,” Tommy says, shaking her head. “That’s… interesting.”

Despite how confusing that might’ve been, Trini can appreciate at least one aspect of the story. “Good for her.”

“Why are there so many super annoying people in Angel Grove?”

Zack shrugs and then shakes his head. “I don’t know. It’s a curse.”

“Yeah, apparently.”

”But that was it? You didn’t get any names; just a vague rundown that doesn’t even tell the full story?” Trini asks.

”Look dude.” Zack sighs. “Appreciate what I could get. This is a completely necessary chunk of information. But if you don’t want it, you don’t have to say anything.”

Trini puts her hands up in surrender. “Okay. Got it.”

It may or may not be an irrelevant story, but Zack had fun telling it. And, yeah, she did have a little fun listening to it. So she can get over how odd it sounded.

 

\---

 

Whatever she’s feeling from the link isn’t too invasive to her dreams because she already wasn’t sleeping very well. But there is something there. The feeling that one of the others is having, or just had, a nightmare. It isn’t _terrible_ , but it also isn’t pleasant.

And it’s coming from Tommy.

When Trini sits up to look for her, she can see that--after her eyes adjust to the darkness--that everyone else is still asleep. But there’s no clock and she can’t think straight enough to find her phone, so who the hell knows what time it is. But she can see that Tommy’s there, and she’s sitting up with her arms wrapped around her knees and her head down.

Tommy’s on the complete other side of the room, so Trini has to get past the four other sleeping bodies to get to her. When she does, she still keeps her distance.

“Tommy. Hey…”

There’s a sharp inhale as Tommy looks up, but then she relaxes. “Shit. Trini.”

For a moment neither of them knows what to say.

Then Tommy continues with, “Did I wake you up?”

“Uh… I don’t know. Maybe.”

“God, I’m sorry.”

Trini shakes her head. “Don’t worry about it. I… I’m fine. Seriously. But I don’t think you are.”

“Whatever,” Tommy says with a shrug.

“You had a nightmare.” She still keeps her voice low, the statement almost sounding like a question.

Tommy nods.

“Does that happen a lot?”

“Uh… Define _a lot_.”

“Tommy…”

“It happens…” she says, trailing off. “Often enough.”

“Not often enough to mention it to us?”

“Come on, Trini. Why would I mention that?”

It’s a little odd to suddenly realize _now_ of all times. But Tommy’s slowly stopped calling them all by their last names. And it’s weird, but… also kind of nice.

And she does have a fair point. Trini wouldn’t mention it either. The only reason the others know about _her_ nightmares is because of the link.

"None of you were feeling it in the link,” Tommy continues. “I had no reason to bring it up.”

“Is it something that started recently, or…?”

“Is it connected to Rita or being a ranger?” she asks, and then shakes her head. “I mean, I used to get nightmares all the time. It isn’t new for me. But lately… yeah, it’s been pretty Ranger-centric.”

“That sucks.”

“I know.”

“You don’t have to go through it alone.”

Tommy sighs, and then flatly says, “Yeah? How so?”

Of course she’s gonna be a smart ass about this. Like, _yeah_ , Trini would be too if she were in Tommy’s shoes. But she’s actually _trying_ to reach out right now, so she’d appreciate it if Tommy didn’t make this unnecessarily difficult.

“Things are about to get really emotional, so don’t be an ass about this too,” Trini says. “You can talk to us about the nightmares for one thing. Talking things out helps sometimes. Maybe I’m not the best example, but… it does help.”

Tommy doesn’t say anything, but she does seem to be taking what she says seriously.

“Sometimes we’ll go over to each other’s house if it’s a really bad night. Just… not being alone. That can be important. Or, like… cuddling. Is surprisingly helpful.”

“Who am I gonna cuddle with?”

Trini barely stops herself from rolling her eyes at that. “Oh my god. It doesn’t have to be romantic, dude. I’m biased saying Kim’s nice to be around, but… Don’t tell anyone I said this, but Zack’s kind of a big teddy bear. He’s really good at being comforting… and he doesn’t ask questions if you don’t want him to. He’s been there for all of us. And that extends to you. I can promise that,” she says, pausing for a moment. “There are a lot of ways we can help each other out, Tommy. I know things are complicated right now, but… you’re one of us.”

Tommy nods, if a bit reluctantly.

“There’s like no way you’re going to believe that, huh? Like, no matter what we do?”

She gives Trini a confused look. “Do you even believe it?”

“Yes. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t.”

“Alright. I don’t know,” Tommy says, and then she takes a deep breath. “I can feel that something is off. I know that this link is here, but there’s something disrupting it. I don’t even know what it’s supposed to feel like normally, but I know _this_ isn’t right. You can’t trust me. You’re scared of me. And I know it’s not _me_ , but… it’s so risky and dangerous that you have to be cautious around me anyway. I think it’s better if I stay out of your way while this is still… here.”

Well. It’s hard to argue with that.

Maybe she shouldn’t be the one (trying) to give Tommy a pep talk, because she’s sort of slowly siding with her. Tommy’s making some good points.

“Okay, but we don’t know when that’s going to be. And, like I said before, you don’t have to go through this alone.”

“I don’t get why,” Tommy says. “You guys feel like family. But we haven’t known each other very long."

“Yeah, this ranger thing kind of has a built in _ride or die_ clause between every member. You’re with us whether you like it or not.”

Tommy looks away, rubbing the back of her neck. “This is way more emotional than I was expecting this to get.”

“Same. But I _did_ warn you.”

“Right, so…”

“You still seem kinda antsy from whatever that nightmare was. Do you want to… talk… about it?”

“Do you?”

Trini shrugs. “If you want to, then I’m, like, here or whatever.”

“Compelling.”

“Let’s just lay down again and if you want to say something, you can. If not, we’ll fall asleep. Hopefully.”

“Okay.” Tommy nods. “Yeah, okay.”

They both go back to lying down, Trini staying right next to Tommy instead of returning to her old spot. They sit in silence for a good amount of time. Trini almost thinks that she _should_ seriously focus on getting some sleep, because it doesn’t look like they’re going to get anywhere else for the rest of the night.

Until Tommy suddenly says, “Are you still awake?”

So Trini just says, “Unfortunately.”

“I don’t know what it was. There was… just a lot of water.”

So she _is_ talking about that nightmare now.

“And it kind of felt like a memory? Almost?” Tommy says. “But it wasn’t a memory. Before I got here, I was never in big bodies of water like that. The weird thing is, I don’t think it was supposed to be a bad memory. But something about it was just… terrifying.”

Yeah that’s pretty much what Trini was feeling through the link.

“That’s all it was. It wasn’t that bad.”

Trini spends a second thinking over what to say. And then she settles for, “Rita came from the bottom of the ocean.”

“Yeah. I heard.” Tommy pauses. “We don’t have talk about it. I just wanted to say it.”

“Alright.”

“Yeah… thanks.”

“No problem.”

And they’re about to go to sleep, but Trini suddenly realizes that they haven’t been sitting in total silence. The sound on the TV must’ve been turned down to like two or three, because she can barely hear it. But it’s hard to miss that soundtrack playing in the background.

”Hey... Tommy?”

”Yeah?”

”Why is _Shrek_  on the TV?”

There’s a pause. “I have no idea.”

It’s late and they’re both tired, and Trini would love to know how that movie was put on—especially since someone would’ve had to specifically put it on because they’re still on Netflix—but she decides to let it go for the night.

”Okay... then nevermind I guess.”

They don’t talk about anything more after that, and they _do_ both manage to fall back to sleep.

 

\---

 

“Um,” Zack says, looking at the spot next to him where Trini and Tommy seem to have cuddled up to each other overnight. “Did I miss something…?”

Kimberly sits up, also looking over in that direction in confusion. “If you did, I did too…”

“Who was the last one up with them?” Jason asks, but Kim’s already shaking her head.

“Trini fell asleep before I did. And I don’t think she was anywhere near Tommy…”

“Aww, our angsty little child is opening up to other people,” Zack says, wiping a fake tear from his eyes. “I think I’m gonna cry.”

Billy’s looking back and forth between two areas, pointing to each of them as he says, “Trini fell asleep there… Tommy was right there, where she is now. But we were all situated to where Trini would have had to roll over or physically get up even get where she is now…”

“Because we were in the way.” Jason nods. “She must’ve woken up and moved.”

“Okay, sure. But…” Kim trails off, turning to look at Trini and Tommy again. “Why?”

Zack shrugs. “Guess we’ll ask them when they wake up. We can’t ruin this moment.”

“Yeah… Okay, you’re right. This is kind of adorable.”

 

\---

 

Kimberly’s grown accustomed to the others—mostly Trini, Zack, and Tommy—grabbing her attention by holding her hand, touching her arm, throwing an arm around her shoulder. That’s just how they are. Or, that’s how Zack and Tommy are, and Trini only does those things because they’re dating.

If anyone ever tried to describe Trini as a touchy-feely person, Kim’s sure she would very adamantly deny it.

So she doesn’t really jump when she feels someone put a hand on her shoulder.

She does, however, have to double take when she realizes that it’s _Amanda_ who’s pulling her off in the direction of a less crowded area. And that’s pretty much everywhere since they’re outside now; the crowd is just moving in a line to get to the parking lot.

“I just need five minutes,” she says once they come to a complete stop. She then takes a moment to glance at their surroundings.

Kim’s too shocked to do anything other than nod. Knowing that Amanda pulled Trini aside to apologize is one thing, but this… She has no idea what it could be.

“I can’t forgive you for what you did. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to. But if you’re serious about being sorry, and, like, becoming a better person or whatever the hell you're doing… I’m willing to call a truce,” Amanda says. “And by that, I mean we stay out of each other’s way. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Kim agrees, nodding again through her slight state of confusion. A handshake seems like it’d be more symbolic and meaningful in a situation like this, but with all of their history, it would also be just a _bit_ too awkward. There’s an odd bittersweet feeling that lingers between them for a moment. _Years_ of them being best friends. Only for Kim to fuck up, and end them up here.

She knows there’s nothing else for her to say right now, so she keeps her mouth shut.

“As much as I hate to be the one apologizing to you” Amanda continues. “I’m sorry for everything that happened with your locker… I wanted to get even, but… you stooped pretty low, so it was hard to match it.”

Kim nods again, but all she wants to say is that Amanda should’ve stopped with the apology at Trini. She _did_ only get caught in the crossfire. At least Kim deserved what they dished out to her.

Amanda takes a step closer to her, lowering her voice. “This thing with Ty… Maybe I’m an idiot for it, but I do believe that he was the one who spread it. But that doesn’t change anything. The details don’t make what you did any less fucked up, Kim.”

“I know,” she says. “I thought I owed you the whole truth. That’s all…”

Amanda nods, glancing around again like she’s preparing to leave.

But first, she adds, “I’m not the one controlling the football guys, by the way. They won’t listen to me; That’s all Ty.”

Kim still appreciates the thought. It’s _way_ more than she was expecting to get. “Thanks.”

And she still has so much more that she wants to say. There’s so much history between them… But she needs to let Amanda end the conversation on her own terms.

Amanda lingers for another moment, pausing as if she has something else to add. But then thinks better of it and walks away.

So that’s it. It was a door that Kimberly was sure had already been shut and locked; she didn’t expect to ever have a conversation with Amanda again. At least, not one like _that_. But it’s happened, and they’ve more or less made peace with each other.

That chapter of Kim’s life is officially over now.

 

\---

 

It was supposed to be another _normal_ hangout down by the mountains. And it was at first. They were lounging, laughing, just talking without having to worry about any of the problems they might have going on in their lives.

But when Tommy says, “Uh… Hey I’ve gotta go. Sorry,” and she stands up to leave, they can all feel a shift in the link. Nothing too big or serious, but the general vibe coming from Tommy changes enough that they can tell something’s up.

“What do you mean?” Jason asks, also moving to get out of his seat.

Tommy shakes her head, already starting to walk away. “I just have to go. Don’t worry about it.”

“Tommy…?” Kim tries to ask carefully, but it isn’t making her stop or pause at all. They’re all standing now, some moving faster to catch up with Tommy.

“No, just… Leave me alone. Please.”

But as much as they want to listen to her and let her handle things the way she wants to, they can’t just _let her go_ when they don’t know what’s going on. If she’s dangerous--to others, to herself--then they can’t sit there and do nothing.

And they can _feel_ that Tommy isn’t okay. They don’t know what’s going on in her head, but it’s something, and it’s clearly bothering her.

Zack and Kim are the closest two behind her, but they’re still trying not to be overbearing.

That apparently doesn’t work, because when Tommy glances behind herself to see them, she shakes her head and says, “Fuck, guys… I’m… I can’t. I don’t want to hurt any of you.”

“Tommy, you can’t do this all on your own,” Trini calls out.

Zack moves ahead of Kimberly, jogging a bit to catch up. “Tommy, seriously.”

Tommy shakes her head, but she does stop walking. And she turns around, but she still looks hesitant. “I don’t think there’s anything you can do. If you help me, then that’d be great. But I don’t think…”

Zack holds his arms out a bit, slowly putting his hands on her shoulders to steady her. “Hey, just tell us what’s up.”

Because he’s gotten so close, she lowers her voice a bit when she answers him. “She’s still in my head, Zack. I can… I can feel that there’s something going on. That something’s about to happen. Like it’s about to take over again. We keep trying to fix this, but nothing’s working.”

“It’s okay. We can handle this. I promise we’ll do whatever we can to…” He pauses when green flickers in Tommy’s eyes. “Tommy?”

Tommy closes her eyes, shaking her head. “Don’t let me hurt anyone. Just… please, I don’t want to hurt any of you. You can’t trust me right now.”

Well, now they know for sure what she’s freaking out over. And they’re _kind of_ freaking out a little too.

Tommy’s eyes go green again, and Zack can tell that something changed. He’s realizing that he probably shouldn’t be so close to her anymore right before he realizes that it’s too late to do anything about it. She easily gets his coin out of his pocket, immediately attempting to crush it.

Zack hasn’t thought too much about Rita almost killing him at the docks. Mostly because it was only a few moments later that they _lost_ Billy, and he tries not to think about that if he doesn’t have to. But his coin getting crushed feels really similar to that night, so the memories popping back into his head aren’t all that pleasant.

Thankfully, with his hands already on Tommy’s shoulders, he manages to move them down to Tommy’s hands and pry his coin away from her before he collapses from the pain. He falls to the ground, all of his focus on trying to breathe again.

Noticing that, Billy was the one to run towards them. He had slowed his pace once Zack got his coin back, but calls out, “Zack, are you okay?”

Tommy’s already started moving in his direction, and Jason calls Billy’s name out when he realizes what’s about to happen, but it’s too late for it to do anything. Billy’s too distracted. Tommy punches him in the face, knocking him back a bit, but she can still get his coin out of his pocket too.

He can’t recover as quickly as Zack could.

That sends the other three into action.

Trini runs directly towards Tommy, not stopping until she's right in front of her. She starts pushing at her shoulders, grabbing her jacket to make sure she has her attention. Then she pulls her own coin out and says, “I know you’d rather have mine. Drop his and _take it_.”

Tommy takes the deal. She drops the blue coin, grabs the yellow, and then she looks at her free hand as it begins to morph. Trini getting punched by a partially morphed fist hurts way more than she had been expecting. There’s so much power behind it, it knocks her right to the ground.

It’s been enough time that Zack has recovered and can get to Billy to help calm him down. He wants to help; to get back in there and talk some sense into _Tommy_ \--not whatever evil spirit has taken over her body. But if Billy’s out of this fight for good--if Tommy managed to crush his coin too much--then they might need to retreat.

The sudden burst of action is confusing for sure, so it takes a moment for Kim to snap herself out of the little daze she was in. What Trini did was… kind of dumb. But, to be honest, it’s also definitely something Kim would do if she had been close enough. So she can’t complain.

She can, however, attempt to get _Trini’s_ coin back. She runs up, focussing for a moment to will her own armor to morph over her hand. It lasts long enough for her to say, “Ah, sorry about this,” and throw a punch at Tommy.

“Tommy!” Jason calls out from just a few steps away. “We know you’re in there! Just… try to fight it. Please.”

With Kim distracting Tommy, that gives Trini the time to adjust to the pain and pull herself over to the nearest--and largest--rock that she can get to. Then she lifts her hand up, something green glinting from within it for a half second, tightens her grip and then smashes it against the rock.

Tommy stumbles, losing the yellow coin in the process because the pain surprises her so much.

Jason attempts to dive for it as it hits the ground, but Tommy puts herself in his way. He’s still going for it, but Tommy catches him by his shoulders and shoves him off to the side. She was hurt, but not enough that she can’t keep fighting.

Kim doesn’t try to get the coin like Jason had. She instead goes right for Tommy, grabbing her by the jacket and pausing to say, “I’m so sorry.” Then she slams her into the ground with so much strength that it dents the rock underneath her.

Trini smashes what was in her hand against the rock again, and Billy and Zack catch a good glimpse of what it is. She must’ve swiped Tommy’s coin off of her during that first switch when she gave up her yellow one.

She’s trying to break the green power coin.

Billy’s eyes widen and he shakes his head, even though Trini isn’t looking in his direction. “Trini stop! We want her to make it out of this alive!”

“T, we were lucky to get Billy back, but that was a one time thing,” Zack says, also shaking his head. “If you do this… we can’t do anything to get her back…”

She doesn’t show any sign of acknowledgment.

Kimberly, meanwhile, doesn’t know what the fuck is going on back there, but she’s trying to look Tommy in the eyes and do what she did the first time this happened. Talk some sense back into her, if it’s still possible. “Tommy, please listen to me. I know you’re there. I know it’s hard, but you can fight this. We don’t want to hurt you either.”

Tommy actually pauses, staring at her for a moment. And for a second Kim thinks it might’ve worked. Even just a little bit. But then she grabs Kim’s forearms and headbutts her.

It fucking hurts, and Kim’s definitely a little less present than a moment ago. But despite being a bit dazed, she still keeps Tommy down.

Trini smashes the coin again.

And it’s like the wind is knocked out of Tommy. She blinks a few times, the green flickering in her eyes.

By now they know that the green doesn’t indicate a drastic change every single time, but there is something about Tommy’s face that’s different now. Kim knows--or she _really_ hopes--that she’s _Tommy_ again. And she’s clearly in pain. So she tries to call out, “Trini stop! She’s--”

But Trini’s already smashing the coin again, and this time it cracks.

All of them feel something shift in the link.

Kim’s still staring at Tommy, looking to see what’s going on with _her_.

And Tommy’s eyes are shut, but the pain that’s all over her face is pretty evident. Tears are on the way, and she’s just trying to breathe. She’s… alive, at least.

“Tommy…?” Kim doesn’t know what to do. How to handle the situation. She finally drops her hold over her jacket.

Jason catches up, approaching slowly while still hanging back to give them space.

Tommy’s still working on breathing again, and she coughs a bit, half-heartedly saying, “Fuck…”

They can see blood when she opens her mouth.

Jason tries to help her up, but she shrugs him off because she seems to be in a _don’t touch me right now_ mode. She sits up, but she’s stubborn about doing it on her own.

The change in position makes it easier to breathe. She doesn’t say anything, but she is looking around at each of them. As much as she might want to bolt from this situation, she can’t make herself move.

Zack and Billy are now both standing, holding each other up. Trini’s still over by the rock, slightly broken coin in her hand.

“Do you want to get up?” Jason asks, and Tommy shakes her head. “Are you okay?”

She shakes her head again.

“We need to get her down to the ship, right?” Kim says. “Get Alpha to take a look at her. And the…” She trails off, looking back at Trini.

“ _Can_ you get up?” Jason asks, but that only gets a head shake as a response as well. “We aren’t going to leave you behind, Tommy.”

“Someone needs to help her down there. Not all of us. But… someone.”

They don’t need to say it out loud to know that Billy and Trini aren’t going to be the ones to do that. But there’s barely another moment that goes by before Zack’s volunteering himself, saying that Kim should stick with Trini and that Jason has already taken more hits than he has.

So he gets to Tommy, putting an arm around her back to help her up. And then they both make their way closer to the cliff. They pause at the edge. Zack looking down, and then back at Tommy with an apologetic look. “I really wish there was another way to do this, but uh… Get ready to hold your breath.”

They make it down, into the water, and then _through_ the water down to the caves below. When Zack lands and turns back to check on Tommy, he sees her just sitting on the ground, with an expression that can only really be described as _lost_.

She’s already just trying to breathe, but then she hates the falling and the water, and she knows that Rita has to be gone now, but _something_ is missing. When the coin cracked it wasn’t _just_ that evil energy the went away. And she hurt her friends. If they hadn’t stopped her--if Trini hadn’t taken that risk with the green coin--she could have killed them.

Zack takes a seat on the floor next to her, gently reaching an arm around her shoulders to do his best at comforting her.

They don’t make it to the ship.

Back on the surface, the other four aren’t too sure of what they should be doing next. With what just happened… There isn’t much they could say after something like that.

But Billy does look at Trini, confusion and hurt in his eyes. “Trini, why didn’t you stop? We kept asking, and… and you didn’t know if it would kill her or not. We said we couldn’t bring her back if it did, but you kept trying to break her coin. Why didn’t you stop?”

Trini shakes her head, barely knowing how to answer. “Because I knew _she_ wasn’t going to stop. She would have kept going after us, Billy. She would have killed us without thinking twice about it.”

“But that wasn’t Tommy,” he says. “Tommy wouldn’t hurt us; she’s our friend. Kim had her on the ground; she wasn’t hurting us anymore.”

“She didn’t have our coins, but she was still fighting. She headbutted Kim as soon as she was pinned down. And there was no way I could hurt the bad part of her, without hurting _her_ too. I just… wanted it all to stop.”

Billy shakes his head as Jason puts a hand on his back. “But… there had to be a way…”

“I’m sorry Billy. I really am,” she says, tears now coming to her eyes. “But I didn’t know what else to do. Even if we got her to stop now, it would have kept happening. It’s been getting worse, and… I’m sorry. I can’t watch one of you die again. I don’t want to lose Tommy either, but I didn’t think there was any other choice. She’s just… Rita was…”

Kimberly pulls her into a hug, Trini continously saying that she’s sorry.

“I think we need to wash up and get some rest,” Jason says. “We can stay by our phones, but I think Zack has this one right now. Tommy isn’t going to want to see all of us just yet.”

They all agree, even if it does take them more time than necessary to start moving.

Getting back home without sitting through an interrogation goes a little differently for each of them.

Trini, at least, has managed to compose herself enough that she doesn’t look _too_ shaken up. They do notice that she’s been crying, but she gets away with using a sad movie as an excuse. When her father asks if it was about a dog, she says yes and both of her parents give her an understanding nod. Then she takes a shower, totally ready to pass out and sleep everything off. But before she makes it to bed she notices that Tommy’s coin isn’t with her things anymore. She was holding onto it just in case--since they don’t really know _what_ happened back there--but if it’s gone, then it had to have teleported back.

Billy doesn’t _look_ like he’s hurt, so he doesn’t have to worry about trying to lie. His mom does still ask him questions, but instead of answering, he tells her that he loves her. It wasn’t supposed to be a distraction--he genuinely wanted to let her know--but it does keep her from saying much else. He adds that he’s going to talk to his dad down in his room for a while, so that’s how he spends the rest of his night.

Jason _does_ look like he just got home from a fist fight. It’s just his mom and sister home, so he’s thankful for that--he can’t deal with his dad right now. Not after a day like this. When his mom questions him, he tries to shrug it off by saying he’s fine. That his friends ran into some trouble and he was helping them out. She’s still trying to look him over, checking for any noticeable and serious injuries, and Pearl’s off to the side _worried_ but also a little too surprised to do much. On the way here he was planning on going straight to bed. But now that he has his family in front of them, he’s starting to change his mind. So he asks if they’re busy, and they say they aren’t; not if he needs them right now. The three of them have a movie night, and Jason and Pearl both fall asleep on the couch before they get five minutes in to the second one.

Kim’s parents aren’t even home when she gets back. She had planned on showering and then falling asleep like the others had, but by the time she gets done with the first part she realizes that--even though she _is_ tired--she’s too wired up to fall asleep. And she’s alone. But the others are all gone and busy, so she can’t call any of them or hope that they’re awake to feel her through the link. All she can do is sit on her bed and cry.

Zack and Tommy don’t make it to the ship. They don’t even make it back out of the caves.

**Author's Note:**

> if i mess anything up or you just wanna yell at me, feel free to  
> i'm on tumblr under doughnutcleric


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